Always & Forever
by LavenderGazelle
Summary: "Forever and always." This was his way of promising loyalty. When he promised Niklaus "Always and forever"... This was the first and last lie he'd ever tell. Niklaus's trechery was going to end. The fabled second hybrid is revealed. Someone long dead returns from the shadows to stand in war against his own blood. Secrets unveiled - but who wants to know them? Eventual Elejah.
1. Damon's Ally

It was refreshing for Damon to be alone in the house, with nothing much to do aside from bore himself by thinking. Right now he could have a drink, but he was planning on making a visit, and he didn't want to end up offending his "old friend". If there was one thing that he never wanted to do, it was to be offensive towards the one who had kept him sane throughout the years.

Damon hadn't visited _him_ in a while now, so he thought about taking a gift – one that would show that he was still loyal and thinking about him, even when they were separated. Their relationship was very close – brotherly, he could describe it as, and it was akin to that with which he had once held with Stefan, over one hundred years ago, back when they were humans and Katrina hadn't tainted their lives.

However, what gift could he possibly take to such a powerful and close friend that could make him stand out? He'd thought about wine, but decided against it – it could cause some problems if his friend couldn't digest it properly. Then he thought food, but they didn't have anything that he thought would be of interest. Jewellery? Nah, thought Damon. He wasn't the type to be interested in jewels of any sort. Though he had an eye for detail, it was usually Damon that felt obsessive over shiny objects when they were cruising with one another.

Then he decided that he'd simply get him something on the way. Something that would show his appreciation, but wouldn't be too offensive. Damon could remember his tastes; what he said he liked, and what he said was a "pet hate". Maybe now it could be a time to show off his skills and earn some respect.

Stepping out into the back garden, he looked around to ensure that he was alone, and then _switched. _From his human form, he became a crow, with sleek glossy feathers and sharp beady eyes. In appearance he was stout and compact, neat for a crow. He was one foot and a half in length. Light reflected off of his beak, which was just as pointed and dangerous as his talons, and his tail sifted together idly as he stared up at the sky.

It awaited him. Called him. Needed him.

In one smooth stroke he had taken flight, and rode to soar atop a warm summer drift. Plumage on his tail sent a shadowed rainbow sweeping across the ground as he gained height and tucked his feet into the safety of his body. Trees spread out around him as he crossed the boundary and headed into the forest, but kept his distance from the other murders of crows that he could sense in the distance. Though they usually let him pass through, they were still territorial, and he didn't want to be caught in their lands.

The crow kept himself steady as the soft, warm wind battered at his underbelly. He looked right, then left, searching for something intently. Then he saw it; a black vole nibbling at some shoots of grass. As of yet it was unaware of his presence.

Hunting instinct took over and he surged towards the vole, snatching it up in his talons before it could so much as squeak, and carried it into the air. Damon had to beat his wings a little bit harder to get back into safer drifts – he wasn't used to carrying prey, since crows usually scavenged for their meals. But he was no ordinary crow, and his friend was extraordinary.

Damon expected to see the familiar shape of his friend nestled within the rocks by the waterfall, but instead he found it empty. It was mildly surprising, seeing as his friend had said he would usually always be around, but he figured that he was simply out getting something to eat or stretching his muscles. The black vole was limp as he placed it by the water's edge, but it was still warm. The summer sun was helping with that and he hoped that his friend would enjoy it.

He must have been there for about ten minutes before he heard a distant heartbeat high above. Dark, round eyes followed and there he was in all his glory, gliding leisurely on the wind to conserve his strength. He was glorious. Absolutely glorious.

The one-foot-and-a-half size of Damon's crow form was dwarfed and, as he usually did, he found himself shrinking down submissively, flattening himself to the ground as he was circled by his friend.

_He _was over four and a half feet in length. His wingspan reached over nine. For a raptor of his breed, he was very large – over half a foot in what would be considered normal. His feathers were long; his bones sturdy and strong. It was impossible to think that such a massive bird could be so fast, Damon thought. The first time he'd challenged the behemoth to a race, he'd literally been left _in the dust_ of the giant raptor's dust. Not anywhere near as fast, or as strong. For someone like Damon who rebelled in the face of authority, even he dared not challenge such a mighty being.

What struck him most of all wasn't the size however, but the tail. It was long and diamond shaped with each feather spread out and as dark as the night sky. Then the large raptor folded in his wings and spread out deathly sharp claws, sinking them into the earth as he landed and towered over Damon. It was a Wedge-Tailed Eagle.

"Fledgeling," murmured the raptor by way of greeting. "You have not visited me in some time."

The crow was fully grown, but by the raptor's standards, he was but a chick. Damon knew that this male could shred him with no problem at all. "I've had problems at my nest," he said solemnly, keeping his head low as his dark brown friend reached down and drank from the pristine lake. "I would have come sooner, but..."

"I understand," said the raptor, pausing in his drink. "But you know that I am not simply here to be your counsel. I don't expect to be surrounded by those who simply want things of me."

"I would never do such a thing to you!" Damon protested defensively, his voice almost urgent and desperate. _Almost. _"You're my friend! It's just that... So much has happened lately... I couldn't find time to get away."

"The no-wing is still bothering you in your own territory," surmised the raptor, "And trying to compete for your... mate?"

Damon winced. In bird language, for some things there were no other words to explain, which often meant sensitive things were said bluntly. The eagle was in fact referring to Elena, and although they were not technically mates, he was hoping she would become that eventually. "I'm trying to chase him away..."

Stepping away from the lake, the Wedge-Tailed Eagle turned to face the puny bird. "And?"

"He is too powerful. He and his nest-mates will not leave peacefully. I have tried to kill them..."

There was a glimmer of something unreadable in the raptor's eyes and a brief lapse of silence. Then he spoke. "How many times must I tell you, fledgeling, that your inability to think through a plan will not get you anywhere?" Damon flinched and, despite his rising agitation and desire to stand up for himself, his primal side had other ideas and he crouched even lower. "You are like a disturbed snake. Cunning, but paranoid. Your philosophy is to strike before you are struck, even if they mean you no harm. You have been alone for so long and it is time you started to find allies. Ones who will prove their loyalty to you when the time is right."

Damon's feathers ruffled with indignation. "I don't need friends!" He cawed furiously. Fluffing up in an attempt to make himself look bigger, he added, "I'll be happy as long as they stop intruding in my territory!"

The raptor whirled around, eyes blazing with controlled anger. "_Must_ I remind you _again, _fledgeling_?" _His tone was aggressive. "Where would you be without the poacher? Without your nest-mate? Where would you be without _me_?"

The poacher was referring to Alaric. The nest-mate, to Stefan. Damon's jaw would have clenched had he been in his human form, but instead he simply squeezed sticks in his feet until they snapped. "Dead," he conceded, knowing that he had to answer the great raptor. "And of no use to anyone. Or insane, and even worse off most likely."

Sifting his feathers against his colossal frame, the eagle inclined his head in what could be seen as a nod. "Exactly my point. The no-wings that you chirrup of are creatures that require a flock in order to defend their territory. Get them alone and they are weak. Countless moons and suns ago no-wings were strong and would not have been such pitiful, carnal beasts that they now are. In that time, the no-wings were great and intelligent, unafraid to battle and to protect what they claimed."

Damon listened intently. He'd calmed down a bit and found himself enthralled by the soothing tone of the raptor. His side brushed against the vole he'd caught and he tried to envisage such a time, but in the recent times, all he could think of was Klaus and his family, and how they must have been. Had they also changed?

"The no-wing desires power through vast numbers," the raptor went on. "You are acting too hastily, fledgeling. Your heart leads you too often and you are straying onto the beginning of different flight paths. Should you carry on the way you are, you lose sight of the stars and you will become lost."

He noted the use of 'will' in that sentence, not 'can'. Was he really in that much danger? "My friend, are you... Trying to teach me something?" Damon inquired.

The raptor turned his head towards the crow, then shook his head. "You once told me that the no-wing wants to build his own hunting flock, and as we chirrup his flock amounts to great numbers. Like no-wings, flying in numbers is great. You are protected. Those who do not wish to challenge you will not dare. What you need to do is to fly over him where he will not see you. Only then will you have the advantage."

Damon took a moment to process this information. Then it clicked. "The hunting bird will never look _above_ for prey," he breathed, dawning in realisation. "Should I spy on him?"

"Crows are less conspicuous," the raptor suggested. "If I were to, I would be spotted a lot quicker. But you should stay amongst other birds so that he does not notice you do not breathe as the others do. But I shall aid you, fledgeling. If you take watch when the golden eye bathes us in its light, I shall do so when the silver eye comes."

Damon dipped his head respectfully. "I would appreciate that. And we would meet here to discuss our findings?"

"It shall be done. At each time when the silver-eye is twice halved."

Every weekend, Damon translated. He nodded his approval of this new plan and then moved to drink from the lake. A soft drizzle of rain started to fall from overhead, even though the golden eye was still gazing down upon the earth. The two quickly retreated back into the eagle's rocky alcove.

"I brought this as a gift," the crow cawed, then nudged the black vole towards his friend.

Deep brown eyes examined the prey. It was plump and cool, having not died long ago. With a soft trilling sound within his throat, he accepted the gesture and held the body down with a foot and started to tear into the meat.

They talked until the silver-eye had started to rise on the horizon and the sky darkened. When Damon finally had to leave, the raptor followed him into the sky, but drifted in the clouds where the humans would not see him.

"I shall see you at next twice-half silver eye," called Damon as he descended down towards his house.

There was a single farewell call from above. The two went their separate ways.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The raptor observed from above as Damon reverted to his no-wing form and vanished within his large nest. The vampire cast a final lonely glance over his shoulder before he secured his nest and went back to mull over their conversation.

Damon-crow had told him everything. There was nothing less than absolute trust in the bond that they shared. The raptor knew everything about his past, about his family, his desires, fears and knew all of his plans. Within the ten years they'd known each other they had grown extremely close, he had more often than not been involved within his plans or his attempts at reaching his goals.

As he flew over the forest and settled back in his alcove, the night had arrived and there was but one left to speak with before he was done with his duties for the night. He waited until the moon had reached its peak, sitting as high as it could go, then strode out into the grassy clearing.

At the same time his wide eyes locked onto the shadows to his left, there was a ripple of sandy gold-tawny fur, reminiscent of the sun. Thick paws thumped against the ground but there was no heartbeat, no warmth, to match the expression in her face.

She was broad-shouldered, larger than her species kind and heavier, though her muscles burst with power and strength. Dark spots adorned her fur, fading around her snow-covered chin and charcoal lips. She was long-bodied and slender with a winding, tufted tail and dark irises. Rounded, black-backed ears flicked to survey her surroundings with caution. Once she was sure they were alone, she padded forward on branch-thick legs and rubbed her head against the raptor's body.

This she-cat was a Lijagulep – a hybrid between a male lion and a female jaguar-leopard. Though she was fully grown and larger than some males of her species, she also had an air of youth about her, but eyes that reflected wisdom beyond her years.

"Fledgeling!" Chirruped the raptor in greeting, extending a wing to brush affectionately against the Lijagulep's shoulder. "The down on your body looks radiant beneath silver-eye."

The Lijagulep beamed. "Your fur is also beautiful, littermate," she said. "So, are you going to tell me what has happened? We must return to the den before we are missed and silverpelt fades."

Silverpelt was cat-talk for the night. The raptor was possibly the only bird to understand cat-speak, and to speak it as well. With detail he repeated what he had heard from his crow-friend, cautiously watching the she-cat's expression intently for any change in emotion.

"He still searches," she growled after a moment, crouching on the ground with a haunted expression on her face. "Are you sure we cannot tell him of your plan? What if he causes our deaths before we can put our plan into action?"

Instinctively the eagle bristled. His body tensed and he glared at the Lijagulep sternly, but then flattened his feathers and forced himself to settle. "We cannot," he said in warning. "Should the plan be unveiled and something should happen, he might make the mistake of alerting _him_."

The Lijagulep rasped her tongue over her chest fur to smooth it down and gazed at the Wedge-Tailed Eagle. "I understand. But still, I don't like this, littermate. What if we fail?"

"I've researched this for over two hundred years," replied the raptor with confidence. "We shall not fail. And when it is done..."

"We will be free." She purred and nuzzled the raptor affectionately. "You always were there for us," she whispered, inhaling his scent in a steady, deep breath. "Even back then. I remember when I was still a young cub, you taught me how to fight in secret against father's orders. When silver-eye was bright and full, you'd tell us stories to distract us from the wolves... Our youngest littermate really looked up to you before he joined the stars. We all did. We still do."

The warmth that churned his belly was hard to describe and he felt choked. Not often was he spoken to in high favour; he craved praise and acceptance, even amongst his own. To hear that he was so important to his nest-mates...

They both sat there for a while; the Lijagulep ran her tongue over his feathers to groom him in a gesture of affection while he preened her fur with soft but swift nips of his beak. They were there for perhaps half an hour before they decided to leave. The raptor felt encouraged from the earlier moments with the Lijagulep and his eyes were bright as they changed back into their other forms and begun the trek back home.


	2. Sound of Music

When Kol pushed open the large door to their mansion and stepped inside, Klaus was there, and he shot towards them with venom dripping from his stare. His square jaw was set to halt the stream of expletives that would no doubt explode from his mouth had he not paused to control himself. He was wearing casual attire; light blue jeans with a dark grey short-sleeved shirt.

"Where have you been?" He growled, his eyes burning with anger.

Rebekah narrowed her blue eyes, her lips curling up into a disobedient sneer. Elijah coolly stepped in behind her, resting a cold hand on her shoulder. Kol simply stared. "Why so serious, Nick?" She asked tauntingly. "I didn't know we had a curfew."

At this, Niklaus bristled. Rebekah knew provoking him wasn't a good idea, but subconsciously she knew that Elijah was right behind her. Somehow she felt the need to prove herself to him, even though she didn't need to. It was more based around that she was sick of Niklaus bossing her around.

"Problem, _brother?" _Kol stressed the word as if it were expendable in his case. Like Elijah, he really didn't care if Niklaus became annoyed. As long as he didn't flip his lid. "We were out picking daisies on the motorway. Aren't you up past your bed time?"

"You didn't answer my question," Niklaus ground out, eyeing them all until his eyes rested upon Elijah.

But the eldest brother of the Mikaelson family simply levelled his gaze and took the bull by the horns. "Rebekah and Kol went out to have some fun," he said quietly, almost bored. "Since they've been drinking, I thought I'd escort them home."

It wasn't a lie. Both had alcohol on their breath. It seemed to satisfy the hyrbid to some extent. "And you?" Klaus asked.

"Getting a midnight snack," he said. "I was hungry."

Niklaus looked suspicious. "There are bottles in the fridge," he pointed out.

Kol scoffed. "Seriously, Nick?" He sauntered forwards and pivoted on his heel as he started to head into the living room. "You're such a killjoy! Taking the thrill out of the hunt... Shame – on – _you_!" He loved winding Klaus up. It was his favourite pastime, aside from playing jokes on people, tormenting them, feeding and watching people fall over on the 'television' as they called it. What he loved most was that no matter how riled up and bitter his slightly older brother got, he couldn't do a thing about it.

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get ready for bed," Elijah excused himself, brushing past his younger half-brother. Rebekah skirted around him, taking pointed steps.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

There were many rooms in the Mikaelson mansion, but none more loved than this one, Kol thought. The music room. A large room with several various instruments propped up or sitting, ready to be played.

It was midday. Kol was bouncing about beside Elijah, eager to start pounding on the new drum kit that he'd got for his birthday. One never would have figured Elijah for a musician but apparently it was what had kept him sane, listening to how other people sung about their problems, or the problems of other people. He didn't like country music as well as he did others, but he did find an appreciation for some rap songs, when they weren't about women being possessions or objects of sexual need. It was a good way to vent, because there were pretty much songs for everything now.

Elijah had found him a tutor and had been teaching him how to play. While Elijah preferred the sanctuary of the piano, which matched his fairly upper class tastes, he did play other instruments from time to time, but never to an audience. After all, when you live for a thousand years, things become boring very quickly. Kol could understand why Elijah wouldn't want to be famous – the media were clinging to you every second of every day. "They'd watch me sleep and record every word I said or moan, and convert it into something sexual if they had the chance. Then they'd ask why I never seem to grow old, why I haven't taken on a relationship..." He'd claimed. "No, it's better just to keep it to myself." Elijah was, after all, an intensely private man.

But music was ever changing, and there were so many songs to learn, which kept him busy. Kol had so far only learned how to play the drums, and for a list of reasons;

He could annoy people with it – mainly Niklaus.

It involved hitting things that made awesome noises. Not only that, but you could hit them over and over and over and they would hardly break. You could go fast, slow, at a rhythmic pace... Kol liked to hit them very fast and hard. _Very._

It meant spending time with his older brother.

He never got bored of it.

Those were just a few reasons. Right now he was practically drooling over the drum kit, watching as Elijah looked over them to check that they were in working order. When he gave the signal, Kol didn't even wait before he dove onto the stool and snatched the sticks out of his brother's hand.

The sleek texture, the intricate swirls... Oh, they made Kol's heart ache. Elijah had found that after so many years in a coffin, Kol's restlessness had turned him into a destructive ball of energy that didn't want to be controlled. It had taken Kol's older brother a few seconds to come up with an idea on how to work towards taming it, and after a few weeks of playing the drums and learning, not only had Kol picked it up extremely quickly, but he'd become skilled at it and enjoyed it. Now he wasn't as reckless; his urges to commit violent acts were slowly becoming sated.

"Start off with something simple, just to get yourself back into the mindset of drumming." Elijah told a now drum-starved Kol, who was staring with glassy, wide, excited eyes and a goofy grin bursting across his face.

Kol couldn't help it. A giggle burst out of his mouth and he completely disregarded Elijah's instruction – he started assaulting the drum, playing out several beats so worthy of a metal band that made his ears ring and muscles burn with exhilaration.

He was fully aware of Elijah recoiling beside him, as if he hadn't expected such a violent outburst from his younger brother. But he made no attempt to stop Kol. That was like getting between a drug addict and their stash. Give them a gun and you were as good as dead. He'd simply have to give him a moment to relish in his new plaything and then give him a song to play.

Despite Kol's innate skill in drumming, he had a habit of striking the drums too hard at times and running off the flow of the beat. Elijah had tried to wean his brother gradually away from it but it was proving difficult. It was as though he didn't want to – Elijah surmised that it had a link to Kol's blatant disrespect for authority.

Well, authority aside from him, anyway. If Kol's attitude towards Elijah could be called respectful.

Kol wasn't familiar with the new way of doing things, and since he didn't like learning much of anything, he simply decided to stay the way he was. It was a massive pain in the arse learning things as far as Kol was concerned.

After about a minute of constant deafening booms and crashes, Elijah tapped Kol's shoulder in a signal for him to stop. Kol did as he was told, though hesitantly. The unwanted distraction left his hands shaking and his body tense. Elijah gazed at him steadily for a moment, and then moved over to a second drum set and flicked on the radio.

"System of a Down?" Kol said hopefully, his eyes wide.

Elijah simply smiled at him. "Toxicity. You told me you wanted to play this last week so I went and found the track for it. Listen to the beat once and then try it out."

Elijah seldom played the drums, but he could see from the tide of desperation in Kol's eyes that he wanted so badly to have some fun. He passed a set of headphones to his brother and watched as his eyes roll back with pleasure, his head bobble and shoulders sway and dance to the beat.

"God, that's amazing," Kol almost shouted, and twirled the drumsticks in his hands. "This song is better than sex! Brother, will you play this with me?"

There was a brief flicker of amusement in Elijah's deep brown gaze and then he fitted his own headphones onto his head and reached for the drumsticks.

About two seconds later the house was filled with rampant music and the sound of a stampede as the two Originals erupted into song. From where she sat, Rebekah looked up from her diary and found herself smiling happily as Niklaus hissed in frustration.

Kol found himself floating in ecstasy as he looked up from his playing, but he didn't stop. There was an equally as thrilled expression on Elijah's face, told by the smirk and the flash of pearly teeth from behind his lips.

"Fuck Klaus!" Kol blurted for no apparent reason other than because he couldn't stand not speaking. "You're way more fun to hang out with!"

He wasn't sure whether or not Elijah had heard him, because of the thunder of the drums, but he was nevertheless responded to with a quick glance. When the song had ended, Kol would have been completely breathless if it hadn't been for the fact that he was dead and didn't need to breathe. "Jesus Christ!"

"Your tutor has taught you well," Elijah praised, reclining slightly backwards to stretch his back. "There were a few mistakes but otherwise, it was _exemplum!"_

Kol beamed at the praise. He was starting to come down from his new-found high, and he didn't want to at all. "Why don't you play something on the piano, brother? I'll make up a beat to it."

"A wonderful idea," Elijah said, and put away the headphones, then moved towards the piano. One round on the drums was enough, he thought. He only went on them when Kol wanted him to, or when he was so angry that he felt the undesirable urge to pound something into the underworld. The piano was much more soothing with a wider range of notes, and was better suited to him. It was calmer and sometimes when he played, it was like the ocean was swarming around him, taking him as far away from his worries as possible. And sometimes he loved it because his emotions were heightened – fear, concern and rage were the downside, but when tempered, it could also be a great thing to experience.

Kol almost cried when Elijah sat down, smirked and started playing the theme to Pirates of the Caribbean. He'd only been alive for about a month and a half, but the first thing that he'd done was flick through the TV and found the second movie and watched it with Rebekah, Niklaus and Elijah. Out of the three, he had almost squealed with mirth when the Captain had been floating in a wooden coffin with a crow pecking at it, only to shoot it so hard that feathers flew everywere. Oh, he could remember it fondly...

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Kol had just got out of the shower when he heard the familiar voice of Klaus calling him downstairs. The young man felt a burn of spite in his lungs, which he didn't need really since he didn't breathe, and thought about deliberately disobeying him.

"Demanding old cunt," he grumbled under his breath, forgetting briefly that Elijah was older than him, as was their mother. He wasn't referring to them, however – at least not Elijah; he thought mother's rules were too strict – and felt no shame in it.

"Kol!" Rebekah shouted up moments later. "Elijah wants you!"

_That_ changed things. Kol shot back a response to indicate that he'd heard, got dressed and dashed downstairs. Elijah was sitting on the sofa, unusually casual and relaxed, with a pillow rested against his stomach, one arm holding it there and the other propping up his chin. His eyes were half-lidded and told Kol that he was in thought. He wasn't paying attention to the 'magic box with mini people inside of it' that was on right now.

When he moved around to grab his brother's attention, Elijah snapped back into reality and patted the sofa cushion beside him, motioning for him to sit. Kol did so with the nagging tugging in his now sore belly that said, "You've done it now. You're in trouble with Elijah."

"I'd like you to watch this film with me," Elijah requested.

Kol was still unfamiliar with the language and traditions of the 'new world'. "Film?"

"On the... What did you call it? The magic box?" Elijah rubbed away a sudden itch on his jaw with the back of his finger. "Yes. I believe that you would enjoy it immensely."

At first Kol had been reluctant, but it was the first time he'd had the chance to spend time with his eldest brother, so he'd agreed. The whole concept of a television still eluded him and unlike most things he was inclined to find out more about the little world of pixies. He still couldn't understand how they seemed to change every time you pressed a button, nor how there could be an entire... Well, apparently there were countless worlds in the big box of wonders, and countless stories to be played out.

But as soon as he'd snickered for the first time about five minutes in, he'd been hooked, and Pirates of the Caribbean had become his new favourite film series. Rebekah had sat down then, and soon after, Niklaus. When the marathon had come, Kol had recorded them all after Klaus had shown him how, and he'd watched them over and over again for three days straight. He'd driven Klaus up the wall, but it had been worth it.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The stallion cantered across the gorgeous ocean of emerald grass, breathing the scent of lavender around him, and his eyes taking in the dappled green flank that reminded him of the night sky, but with flowers for stars.

His wild caramel mane whipped against his neck as he successfully came down from his jump and reached down to touch his charcoal chin to his chest. A short but tufted fringe hung in front of his beautiful eyes, and he whinnied loudly towards the sky in laughter.

He was bronze-brown from head to hoof, like a newly made two-pence coin that shone like diamonds. It would take even the most experienced horse mounter a step ladder to get atop his back. He was wild, with white socks on his front left foreleg, and untamed. Powerful muscles rippled beneath his chocolate coat and he pirouetted beneath the sun before collapsing in a heap on the ground, grunting his laughter.

Here he was just a stallion. He was bigger than most with a long, sturdy branch for a neck and tufts of fur on each of his hooves. He was strong, he was fast, and most importantly, he was free. And he loved it.

In this field there was no other horse. It was owned by no flat faced two-leg like the next field was, further across. If he was honest he preferred it at the beach – there was a sizeable expanse of sand that was abandoned, and it had large rocks that he could leap and warm sand to run over.

"Fledgeling!"

Snapped out of his reverie, the stallion rolled over, hopped to his feet and looked up towards the blinding sun just as a massive shadow swamped him. The Wedge-Tailed Eagle shot down like he was hunting prey and landed neatly on his shoulder, folding in his wings and nipping at the stallion's ear.

It flicked and the horse snorted, feigning a charge as if to knock the raptor off of him, but he kept his balance. His claws didn't dig very hard into the stallion's skin – he was careful not to hurt him.

"Such a wonderful day the golden-eye grants us," the raptor chirped, looking around attentively. "Your feathers are, as usual, unkempt."

"Unlike yours, old stallion, I need no tidiness to run," jeered the robust male. "You haven't come just to tell me that I look a mess."

"Which you do," stated the Lijagulep brusquely as she prowled from the bracken at the edge of the field. "And are you sure horses can't wear two-leg pelts? Your dick is swinging around like the sixties. It's tempting me to jump on it, and I don't want to."

"Then don't," the raptor pointed out.

But the stallion was amused. "At least I have a dick," he teased. "Is it really that big? I can't see it from here." As if to make a point, he reached down with his neck and tried to look. The eagle let out a frustrated screech and flew a few feet away, shaking his head in not just annoyance, but disgust.

"Enough," the raptor chided. He feared that if this topic went any further into the territory of the carrion crows, he'd be scarred for life. "We didn't come to chirrup about... _That. _We need to set our plan into motion."

"I'll say it's in motion already," guffawed the stallion.

The Lijagulep let out a furious roar and unsheathed her claws. "Would you shut up, litter-mate?"

"_As I was chirruping_," the raptor continued a few decibels louder, "Something new has arisen that means we must act."

The she-cat nodded, sitting down on her haunches and curling her tail around her paws. Her spotted tawny coat was iridescent in the sunlight. "The tainted one plans on snatching his prey and fleeing at the next full moon, once we have retrieved the white-oak stake. If he succeeds in his plan we may not be able to stop him."

The stallion lay down on his belly, his legs folded underneath him. "So what shall we do about it? You're the one who planned it, right?" Angling his long face towards the eagle, he pricked his ears. "Do we make an attempt on his life?" He nickered.

The raptor shook his head. "Too risky. If we are to fail we'll end up in a worse position than we started off in." Drawing in a breath, he stretched out a wing and started to preen the feathers as a physical distraction while he thought. Normally he wasn't one to fidget but he needed a moment to think.

The Lijagulep bent her head and sniffed at his wing. "The scent of blood is on your wing, litter-mate." She meowed softly.

Pausing in his ministrations, the raptor nudged the tiny feathers along his wing bone and settled it back against his side. "A murder of crows thought it wise to test me," he admitted, "So I killed their leader and flayed his entrails from here to no-wing territory."

The stallion snorted. "And you tell me not to kill things unnecessarily."

"And I still think you shouldn't," sighed the raptor. "Instinct and rage blinded me. Still, they know not to challenge me again. Still, I feel guilty."

"It wasn't your fault," rumbled the she-cat, rasping her tongue over the predator's wounded shoulder. "It's happened to me on more than one occasion, but with wild dogs in the forest rather than crows."

"At least it wasn't a two-leg," added the stallion. "You might have been chased with a bolt gun had it been so."

"Hmmm," the raptor brushed his cheek against the she-cat briefly. "Anyway, let's go back to the plan. There is a place across the sea where I fly. One where my own fledglings reside. I shall take the prey there."

"You have cubs?" Gasped the Lijagulep.

"Not by my own blood," the raptor chirruped, suddenly feeling embarrassed that he had let slip such a well protected secret. "But yes. Two males."

"You must introduce us to these cubs," insisted the Lijagulep, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I shall," nodded the raptor. "Anyway, listen carefully. On the night of the no-wing's flock gathering, this is what we must do..."


	3. Dublin

Rebekah smiled, her eyes closed, as the calloused fingers ran through her glorious golden mane of hair. They were preparing for the school ball, where she'd once been enrolled – and still was, in a matter of fact. Or, she and Niklaus were, because he planned on snatching Elena once it was over.

"Hopefully this ball I can stay for," she murmured, enjoying the silk touch of Elijah as he helped to straighten her hair. She'd originally asked Kol to but he had refused, saying that he was too agitated and would most likely tear clumps out of her scalp rather than help. In the distance there was a familiar beating of drums, though not as harsh as usual. Rather, it was controlled, and that surprised her. Somehow it also put her on edge.

Elijah gazed at the icy lakes of her eyes and smiled. "You'll have to excuse me if I make a mistake," he said. "I've not really helped someone to style their hair before. Especially not someone as beautiful as you."

"Oh you're too kind," Rebekah smiled back. Her tone had come out as somewhat sarcastic but she was grateful in reality. "So is everything set up for tonight? The plan?"

Elijah opened his mouth to reply but then Niklaus entered, as silent as a grave. "What plan would this be then?"

Rebekah glanced at his reflection in the mirror, looking momentarily surprised. Elijah took one side of her hair and started to braid it. "I'm planning on taking Rebekah to the ball in my car," he excused himself smoothly. "And yes, Rebekah. I've just got to take out the back seats to make room for you and Kol, so you're not caged in. I know how much you hate that."

"Kol is going to the dance?" Niklaus questioned.

"No," answered Rebekah flatly. "He's just getting a lift. Elijah's taking me to the dance – and you, if you'd like – and then he'd ferrying Kol to his concert. You know, the band that just came into town? System of a Down?"

"Ah, of course. I see." The hybrid made a bitter attempt at a smile, though from the way his eyes burned with determination and anger, it was as if he were trying to suck on a flaming lemon.

Just then, Kol walked in. Rebekah hadn't noticed the drumming stop. "Hey guys, have you heard the rumours?"

Interest piqued, Rebekah glanced over to her older brother. "What rumours?"

"There's a serial killer on the loose," Kol said. "They haven't caught him, but apparently he's killed like five people. You know that chick you have a crush on? Caroline?" He added to Niklaus. "Her father was one of the victims."

"Ah, you must be talking about Alaric Saltzman," Niklaus nodded in understanding, though at mention of Caroline's vampire-hating father, he tensed. "Yes, we already know about him."

"You know about him?" Kol blinked in confusion.

"Yes, he... Isn't really a problem for us," Elijah murmured. "Apparently he's under control of dark magic which turns him, ah..." Elijah placed the brush down on Rebekah's desk and reached for a pin to hold the braid up with "Evil, for a while."

"Oh, I see. Well let's hope he doesn't stuff up tonight." Clapping his hands, Kol's eyes brimmed with excitement. "I want to see System of a Down!"

Niklaus chuckled. Elijah smirked slightly. "Mind your hearing, Kol. Vampires have sharper hearing than humans so it'll be what, twice as loud for you at least?"

But Kol didn't seem deterred. He tucked his System of a Down T-shirt into his jeans and then grinned. "Ah but that makes it twice as fun, brother!"

"Of course."

"Go and get ready, Nick," Rebekah said. "If you hurry up, Elijah might drive you to the ball with us."

Elijah smiled slightly. "Sure. Why not?"

Rudely, Niklaus just pivoted on his heel and walked off. When he was out of earshot, Elijah glanced towards Kol, who looked crestfallen. "This is harder than I thought." He complained quietly.

"I know," murmured Elijah. "But it'll be worth it."

"It had better be," growled Rebekah. "I still want that bitch dead for stabbing me in the back."

"I know," Elijah sighed softly. "But we need her."

Rebekah glared at the necklace held up by a small hook by the mirror. It had belonged to their mother – the very one that had also tried to kill them, as well as their back-stabbing brother Finn.

Elijah dropped Niklaus and Rebekah off at the school where they would party, and then cruised down the street in his Cadillac Escalade SUV. Kol had his seatbelt off and was rummaging around in the back seat where the younger brother was searching for something.

"This is it," he murmured. "We're going to execute the first stage of our _grand plan_." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't slightly nervous. "So just remind me what the plan is?"

Elijah reached the edge of the woods and pulled over. "You and I will find Elena and the Bennett witch and take her away from here. The chances are that hybrids will be set up to guard her house and make sure she doesn't try anything stupid, so we'll have to be very careful. I've already called upon some witches to aid us but we don't have long."

"And you're sure the Salvatore boy won't be here?" Asked an apprehensive Kol. "I hear they have White Oak."

"I've heard that the only one left is within the hands of Alaric's alter ego." Elijah explained as he backed the car into a parting in the trees. When they got out and locked the black car up a shadow stepped out to greet them, cloaked within darkness.

Kol felt a shiver run down his spine and he glanced at his elder brother, who nodded confidently. "And if they do, I'll be right with you. Always and forever, little brother." Elijah vowed.

Kol wasn't sure why he did it. Perhaps it was a mixture of anxiety and fear, or perhaps Elijah's calm, stoic disposition was rubbing off on him, but he reached out and enclosed his arms around his chest, beneath his arms. The fact that Elijah tensed in surprise didn't occur to him. He squeezed his eyes shut and held on. "I've spent so long separated from you guys," he whispered quietly. "I don't want to lose you again. You returned my freedom to me when you removed the dagger from my heart, but I don't want another one put in its place."

Elijah was aware that the witch was watching from a few feet away, but his heart melted, seeing his younger brother upset. Kol wasn't one to admit fear, especially when he had an audience.

"Kol, if you're having second thoughts about this... I can go on alone. I don't want you to do something you're not comfortable with."

"I want to do this. But we're going to be split up again," Kol confessed. "And I... If Niklaus finds out what we're doing..."

"He won't," Elijah insisted firmly. "I've thought of every fallacy possible and have protected us against them. Location spells will be blocked. I only need you to stall him for a week, little brother, and then we can be rid of him."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Kol nodded and let Elijah go, looking over towards a witch with almond coloured eyes and dark skin. She was dressed in black and her face was expressionless as she gazed at Elijah.

"This is who will help us," Elijah inclined his head to her. "Lucielle Bennett."

"Lucy, please," replied the witch, smiling slightly. "I had come to repay my debt to you, but it seems that my kin is endangered. I shall have to repay you in another way, since I can't just use my cousin as a bargaining chip."

Elijah's jaw clenched slightly at that, as though what she had said had been purposeful just to hurt him. The memory of using his sister's hatred of Elena to manipulate others was still fresh on his mind. "Yes, well, you are aware of our arrangement?"

Lucy nodded. "I make sure there are no witnesses and no threats. You get Elena and Bonnie and take them where they will not be safe from harm."

"Yes," Elijah nodded. He turned back to Kol. "The night draws on, I'm afraid. We'll need to hurry if we are to succeed."

Kol nodded and bunched his muscles, as if to run.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elijah sprung as Lucy's magic crashed down upon the hybrids stalking the house. He charged straight for the door with Kol at his side and leapt up the side of the building, and into the open window. Bonnie was talking with Elena about Alaric as they waited for their dates to arrive, but shrieked in surprise as the two men landed in the middle of her bedroom.

"Elijah! Kol!" Elena gasped, backing into the corner of the room. "What's going on?"

"You must come with us," Elijah sternly instructed. "You are both in grave danger. There is no time to explain."

"What... What do you mean?" Elena asked.

Bonnie whirled around and glanced at the window. Magic was heavy in the cold air outside and a single figure stood in the street, holding up the barrier that kept vampires out. She recognised the aura, but recognised something else even more.

"Hybrids?"

"You're in danger," growled Kol. "Trust us. We've come to get you out of here."

"Where's Jeremy?" The doppelgänger remembered all too well the time that Kol had slapped her and beaten Damon. "Is he-?."

"He'll be fine," Elijah said quickly. "Grab your things and come on. There's not much time."

Bonnie's gaze was transfixed outside on the lone figure stood beneath the street light. It was Lucy – her cousin, and for a moment their eyes locked before she realised what was going on.

Lucy was helping them. What ever threat Kol and Elijah had come to save them from... It was real.

"Do as they say, Elena!" She said urgently.

Elena lunged for her things and scooped as much up into a bag as she could. She rushed to her closet, ripped out a few shirts and trousers and stuffed them in as well. When she had pulled on her coat over her emerald dress, Elijah's arms pulled her into the bridal carry and Kol grabbed onto Bonnie.

Then they were flying. A sick feeling came over both of them as they were tossed around in the air like rag dolls. They only ran for about ten seconds before they were at the car and the two Originals stopped in their tracks, lowering the frightened women onto the car seats. On the way out Kol had also grabbed Lucy and had brought her back as well.

Elijah kicked the car into drive and rocketed down the empty road. Lucy looked over Elena and Bonnie while Kol climbed into the front seat beside his brother. "I didn't hear or see anyone else," he reported. "Is everything set up?"

"Yes." Elijah said. "There's no turning back now."

"Lucy?" Bonnie's eyes portrayed her surprise. "What's going on?"

"Klaus plans on taking Elena and killing you," Lucy explained solemnly. "Elijah, Kol and I have come to take you to a safer place for now."

"Elijah and Kol...?"

From in the front passenger seat Kol commented, "Well, just Elijah. My stop is just a few blocks from here. But he'll be taking you to Dublin where you can find a way out of this mess."

"Dublin?" Elena was breathless from the overwhelming shock of the situation. "But isn't that...?"

"In Ireland? Yes." Elijah rounded a corner and sped up slightly. They were passing houses quickly now, heading out towards the nearest airport. There were two tickets in his pocket which he'd give to the two when they arrived. "You will need to stay there until it is safe to return."

Lucy nodded in confirmation at the two girls. "I will come as far as the airport and help you to board but then I must leave you."

Elena was processing all of the information. Everything was happening so quickly that she had no idea what else was going on around her. So Klaus was trying to kidnap her and kill Bonnie, so Elijah, Lucy and Kol were trying to save them? But hadn't Kol wanted to avenge his dead brother, Finn?

"I did, but then I remembered what an evil, conniving little shite he was, and then I changed my mind." Kol told her. There was honesty in the tone of his voice which sounded both trustworthy and unnatural at the same time, almost as if it didn't happen often. Reaching into his jean pocket, he pulled out a small necklace. "Besides, Elijah helped me once before, it's only fair I help him. That and it means I get to spit in my brother's face."

"Kol, this is your stop." Elijah announced, stopping in front of the concert hall. They were late but System of a Down was still playing. "Be safe, little brother."

Kol opened his car door, then reached over for what he'd come to know as a 'bro-fist'. "In seven days, big brother. Ride the wind."

When Kol was inside, Elijah dropped the group off at the airport and let them get off. "Bonnie, Elena, here are your tickets. Your flight leaves at eleven – in two hours. Lucy will make sure you board without hassle and I'll meet you later."

"But why aren't you coming?" Asked Bonnie. "I thought you were helping us."

"I am," Elijah said. "However if I disappear at the same time that you do, Niklaus will think it suspicious. I will stay here and play along with your disappearances – when he comes back he will expect me to help him search. I will find the right time and I shall 'be called away. I will meet you at the Dublin airport."

"I'll call you and let you know when they've taken off," promised Lucy. "You can make my call sound like a lead."

"Thank you."


	4. Disorder

Oaken rainbows danced over the ground as the raptor took flight, soaring high into the air and up into the clouds. It was night time and there were a few silver wisps of cotton, blotching out the sprinkle of stars that the silver-eye guarded. He was gliding over the forest of Mystic Falls, just behind the Salvatore manor, where a frantic Stefan Salvatore had just burst into the room, surprising his elder brother, Damon.

"Elena's gone!" He said in a panic. "Bonnie too! They're nowhere to be seen!"

The two brothers split up after that, but rather than follow Stefan out to check if she'd gone to the ball without him, Damon headed to the forest, looking around the alcove for the raptor. Suddenly the behemoth whistled and dropped down upon the crow in a steep dive, gazing at his horrified expression.

"Fledgeling?"

"There you are!" The sleek black crow cawed desperately. "You have to help me!"

The raptor had to circle around the crow once as he stopped in midair, flapping his large wings rapidly to keep him airborne. With a click of his beak, the raptor landed on a thick branch and folded in his wings. "Your mate has been taken by the no-wing?"

"Yes!" Cried the crow restlessly. "I need your help to find her! Please!"

The Wedge-Tailed Eagle remained calm, hoping that the crow would too settle. "Tell me what happened." He said. The crow quickly started reeling off what Stefan had told him – so quickly, in fact, that he had to tell him to speak slower.

"Have you checked at her nest?" He asked.

"Yes!"

"And she is not at her flock gathering?"

"No," squawked the bird. "My nest-mate is heading there now to check."

The raptor paused for a moment, then stared at him incredulously. "You're chirruping me that you've lost a member of your flock without even searching for her?"

"The arrangement between them was that he would fly with her to the gathering," explained the crow. "Have you seen anything strange at the no-wing nest we were guarding?"

The raptor left a meaningful pause. "Actually, I do believe I saw a female no-wing entering the nest. I didn't recognise her from the usual flock that I've seen there. She was being escorted by... A male no-wing with brown head feathers and dark body feathers. I recognise him from your flock. When I once saw him in your garden a few months ago, he had some kind of ring on his finger, but he's taken it off recently."

"Alaric!" Screeched the crow. "Alaric has Elena! I have to find them!"

Before he could do anything else, the crow had shot from the branch and headed into the sky towards the Mikaelson mansion. The raptor watched him leave, and then clicked his beak in satisfaction.

Perfect.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elijah sat down on the sofa with a cup of mint herbal tea just as the doors burst open. Niklaus was enraged; he could see that by the mask stuck to his face. Rebekah looked nervous, her hands clasped in front of her belly.

"Where's Elena?" He demanded.

Elijah blinked a few times, glancing over towards Rebekah, and then towards his younger brother. "Excuse me?"

"Elena's gone, and so is the Bennett witch. I want answers. Where – are – they?"

There was a flicker of amusement in Rebekah's eyes, which meant that everything was still going as it should. Elijah stared incredulously at his half-brother and leaned forward slightly in his chair. "I took Kol to his concert and I've been back for, what..." He pointedly checked his watch. "An hour and a half now. Why would I know where they are?" Forcing an expression of concern, he added, "Is something wrong?"

"They've been kidnapped, Elijah," Rebekah informed him. "Niklaus went to check on them and found all of his hybrids unconscious. The house was on fire."

"And you'd think I would know where they are?" He repeated.

Niklaus glared at him with what seemed like an eternity. "We have to find them," he decided. "Without her I will not be able to make more hybrids."

Elijah could tell from the strained tone of his voice that he was seething. The oldest original quickly finished off his mint tea, which thankfully calmed him, and followed the two outside and into the driveway.

It was pitch black outside and the clouds were greying slightly, a warning of rain. Round stones clicked beneath his heels. It felt as though the wind was colder than usual, and while the weather couldn't really bother him, he still pulled his jacket off and draped it over his sister's bare shoulders. Niklaus paced around for a brief moment and then growled. "We should split up and look in places that she would go first."

Elijah glanced towards Rebekah once his back was turned. "I shall go to her house and search it more thoroughly. Find out if there are any signs of a struggle, and to see if anything is salvageable." He proposed. "If you ask the Salvatore brothers, then perhaps Rebekah can go back to the dance and check that you didn't just miss her?"

"No," Klaus sauntered up to him in an attempt to intimidate him. "We were there and she was not."

"I agree with Elijah," Rebekah thought out loud. "If he goes and checks the house, and we check the Salvatore brother's manor. I heard that they should also have been at the dance..."

"Which reminds me," Elijah added, mainly to Klaus, "When you checked her house, did you see Alaric? If he's there I'll need to be careful."

"He wasn't there," Rebekah said. "At least not when we checked. He is a teacher at the school though so maybe he went and we just didn't notice him."

"And Kol's at the concert," the eldest original's lip quirked slightly downwards. "He won't be back until morning."

There was a brief pause. Then Klaus ordered, "Elijah, check Elena's house. I'll go back to the dance. Look around the alley ways. Rebekah, have a little chat with Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Find out if they know."

Then, in a burst of speed, Klaus was gone.

Rebekah shot a pointed look towards Elijah and frowned. "Good luck, brother," she said, and raced off herself.

Elijah stood alone in the driveway for about a minute, staring out with a deadpan expression on his face. Everything was going so smoothly it was almost as if it were going _too_ smoothly. It made him feel uneasy, but he knew that perhaps Klaus was just too distracted with the disappearance of Elena to notice anything else around him.

There was a rustle of leaves at the edge of the driveway. Elijah turned his head sharply, and came face to face with a crow, which stared at him in almost spite and distrust. He held the bird's stare for a moment, calmer than the ocean on a windless day, and headed for his car.

Crows were an omen of death.

Something bad was going to happen this night.

He could feel it.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Once at Elena's house, Elijah stepped through a mound of rubble carefully, listening to every creak and groan that the house made. If it decided to give up and collapse in on itself, obviously he didn't want to be in its way. He was searching for signs of a struggle, apparently, but something else even more important.

When he'd picked Elena up before, she'd not been wearing her necklace. Bonnie didn't hold the aroma of vervain and that concerned him, because that meant they could both have been compelled. From half-paying attention to them when they were in the car, he didn't recognise anything unusual about them. They acted as he'd suspected they would, but that was no way to prove they weren't being compelled.

He rushed up the stairs, balancing his weight out as much as he could, though he felt a slightly harder push against the torched staircase on his right leg. Elijah was right-handed and could kick harder with his right leg, and it felt natural to him. He was, despite his innate grace spanning over a thousand years, still a little bit clumsy with his left side.

When he finally reached Elena's room, it was, for the most part, burnt to the ground. However there was a lot of ash and cinder scattered across the room. His powerful nose wrinkled and he clenched his jaws, fighting his gagging reflexes.

Sometimes a heightened sense of smell was nice, but other times it was just a curse.

Now was one of those times.

"Are you looking for something, Chief Fire Officer?" Asked a man clad in heavy black fireproof clothing. The fire officer's boots crunched against the debris strewn about the floor and he approached.

Elijah had been forced to compel the leading officer at the scene to get inside the house peacefully. He'd given a false rank and name, making them believe that he was a trained veteran officer. He'd make them forget once he left but he needed to find Esther's necklace before he left. "Yes," he said distractedly, gazing at the remnants of a desk.

He compelled the fire fighter to help him find the vervain necklace, and he stuffed it in his pocket before it could burn his skin. He fled, managing to get to the forest again before he took the necklace out of his pocket, holding it loosely by the chain, and peered at it.

This had once belonged to the originator of the Bennett line. After that, Rebekah. Then it had been given to Elena by Stefan. Elijah had always thought it had been stolen and he had wanted to return it to his sister, but after everything that had happened...

Suddenly he paled, feeling disorientated and ill. The necklace glared up at him, reflecting in the light, and he stumbled slightly, shoving it into his pocket and then erupted into a coughing fit. _The smoke must have entered my lungs,_ the original thought as he tried to settle his chest. It hadn't been blasting him in the face as if the fire were still raging but it had still been heavy and thick to inhale as he'd checked the underlying scents.

Once he'd calmed and wiped around his mouth he'd cleared the dust from his chest, he rushed back to his car and hid the precious necklace beneath his seat for later retrieval. He drove around until he reached a set of houses with bricks the hue of autumn, parking in from of one and flicking off his lights. He was near invisible now aside from the porcelain outline of the ebony SUV's chassis. Nobody would be able to see him.

So he picked up his phone from the passenger seat and brought it to his ear. "It's me. Pick up."

_Click._

"Good evening, Elijah. I'm here." Said a masculine voice.

"Good evening to you also," replied Elijah casually. "I need to call on that favour you owe me..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Rebekah skidded to a halt at the edge of the ravine, gazing down at the back of the house. She'd been there for half an hour, waiting for one of the Salvatore brothers to get back, but so far she'd seen neither and taken to racing around the garden in her boredom. So far it just seemed like they'd holed themselves up for the night but she couldn't hear Stefan's obnoxious snoring or Damon whimpering the tendrils of a nightmare.

What she did hear was a near complete silence from within the house. There was a repeated clicking from the clocks, a gust of the aroma of whiskey from a bottle that had been left unscrewed and the faint odour of blood from their earlier feed.

But no Salvatore.

She had no intention of meeting up with them. She simply wanted to find out if all was normal at the household. Rebekah knew how frantic the two brothers got whenever their beloved "Elena" got in trouble. The fact that not even Damon, who she'd heard hadn't even planned going to the school dance, was not lingering around meant that they had no idea where she was either. Neither of the boys were home.

And that was all she cared about.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Caroline Forbes sat in the auditorium with Tyler Lockwood, her bright eyes positively beaming and stomach flipping about so much she felt like it was crashing against her lungs. So far they were just talking, completely oblivious to the chaos that was going on with Elena. The hall was empty and it the last day of the school term had ended with a spectacular bang!

Well, almost.

"It would definitely have been better if we'd brought fireworks," insisted Tyler, grinning wide. "What better way to end the night?"

"Uh, yeah," Caroline sneered joyfully, "If you wanted to blow out your eardrums. I might need them sometime soon, you know?"

"Hmm, I bet you do," Tyler raised an eyebrow at the heart-shaped face of the blonde. Her jaw was strong and curved for a woman of her age, and her eyes brimmed with a happiness that not many had nowadays. "But I still think it would have been a good idea."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Boys love anything that explodes," she stated.

Tyler's grin grew. "We sure do," he teased.

Moments later there was a startling crash. Stefan Salvatore burst into the room. Caroline leapt to her feet. It was as if he was being chased by someone.

Scattered party poppers and ribbons sprayed across the floor and were crushed beneath the vampire's feet. "Have you seen Elena?" He demanded, wide-eyed.

Caroline felt her stomach do one final flip, and this time it crashed into her heart.


	5. True Beauty

The crow shot through the skies and back towards where his friend was, but he was nowhere to be found. It seemed as though he had gone – vanished with the wind – and now there was an even bigger problem.

The original family didn't have Elena. They were clueless, and Rebekah was on her way to ask them about it. But Alaric was gone as well, and Stefan was about to meet up with Klaus, which spelled disaster for them all if Klaus's temper got the better of him.

They had no witch to perform a locating spell either, since apparently Bonnie was gone as well. But the Wedge-Tailed Eagle had not mentioned a second human walking towards the house, had he? It had just been one and Alaric.

...Or was it even Elena?

Elena was gone, as was Bonnie, as was Alaric. Impulsively he had only heard the description of one of them – of Alaric. But there had been no mention of Elena, had there? The raptor had only said, "a girl he did not recognise".

But he'd seen Bonnie. He'd seen Caroline. He had also seen Elena.

Damon should have been beaten with a brick. In blind panic he'd forgotten that the raptor _knew_ Elena, having seen her at the manor before.

It was none of them. Alaric had been with somebody _else. _But who else would be able to walk so freely into the house with him? Rebekah hated his guts so that ruled him out. They had servants but they mainly stayed inside the house. But the only other person that could go inside the house and not be noticed was...

"Oh my god!" The crow screeched, spiralling down and flying towards the high school at top speed.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The moment that Niklaus charged into the school, he was trapped. Trapped just like Stefan and Caroline, who were crowded with Tyler Lockwood at the front of the school, hissing and snarling like caged animals. As soon as the original hybrid prowled over to them with a mask of rage permanently glued to his face, Tyler dipped his head slightly in instinctive respect.

"Where – is – Elena?" It wasn't a question, but more of a demand. One that suggested, 'either you tell me now, or I tear your heart out and snap every bone in your body'.

"With your mother," spat Stefan furiously. At Niklaus's bewildered expression, he added bitterly, "Yes, she's alive. And she'd taken Alaric."

"We're trapped," Caroline said grimly, pointing at the trail of salt that surrounded the school. It was a ring. One that must have taken a bloody lot of salt to make. "Esther's taken Alaric, but we don't know where."

After an unsuccessful attempt to get out, in which Niklaus ran head-first into an invisible wall, he approached the group with a menacing expression. "Find a way out," the hybrid ordered.

"I've already tried calling Damon but he won't answer," Stefan murmured. "Humans can get out just fine, but we're all trapped here. Vampires, werewolves... Even witches."

A crow landed in the distance, and in the shadows of the trees, transformed back into Damon Salvatore. He strode towards the barrier, but Caroline shouted a "No!"

"Don't come any closer," the young vampire said. "You'll be trapped. You need to find a way to break the barrier."

"Esther's with Alaric!" Damon replied bluntly. "I need to find out where they are."

"Esther's dead," Niklaus snarled.

Damon huffed. "No, she's not. I know that for a fact. So shut up and answer the damn question! _Where – are – they?_"

"If Esther's taken Alaric, she must want him for something," Tyler pointed out. "Maybe she wants to cast a spell?"

Niklaus, still disbelieving that his mother could be alive, snorted. "What could she possibly want with a human?" He asked.

"I dunno," Stefan growled. "Let's find out."

The hybrid shot him a look that could have shattered a diamond. Caroline interrupted, "Well, say she does want to cast a spell. Where would be the best place to do it?"

Silence fell.

Then Damon's eyes widened.

"The cemetery..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

He'd got there in time to stop it. Well, to reverse it, anyway. Only three witches could have come on such short notice – it was a good thing that he'd figured it all out in time, even if he was a bit too late.

It had been so simple really, it was a surprise he hadn't figured it out sooner. If Finn had lived after the spell backfired, the witch who he'd found out was named Esther must have as well. Since, like her dark chick, she never returned, it meant that she had been conserving her strength. She'd just pulled off something taboo – the primal rage that had filled his body had sent him into a frenzy, and she'd panicked seeing the massive Eagle screeching at her from overhead. It had given Alaric the chance to plunge his hand deep into her back and rip her heart out of her body, damaging her spine in the process. But then he'd collapsed and started convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

Now the three witches were fighting against the darkness within Alaric to undo the damage she had done and to release the pent up evil swelling within his heart. The effect of the spell would probably leave him comatose for some time but it meant that he wouldn't be turned into a vampire. It was a little known fact that a vampire in transition could be revived back into a human if they were seen to by a powerful witch quick enough. Once the transition had been completed, though, there was no chance of ever returning to normal.

The witches finished their task, exhausted but successful, and fled into the safety of the trees.

The raptor watched as Damon burst through the bracken with a blonde woman in tow – she'd caught up with him after seeing that the house was empty – and immediately ran to his aid. Rebekah stared briefly at the body of body of Alaric, disgusted by the blood that poured out of his body. Damon glanced up and over to her and froze.

There, behind them in the trees, the raptor was watching.

Alaric was breathing steadily, and his heart was beating, though weak.

With an avian screech, the Wedge-Tailed Eagle rocketed through the gorse and spiralled around a prone body, lying face down in a pool of blood. Rebekah gave chase and skidded to a halt, staring in horror and disbelief. For a moment she just crouched down and watched the unmoving form; her shaking hand reached out to touch the sinews of skin and the long tube that had been torn out of her throat, still attached to her heart. A body could never have been colder than hers was, he thought.

And she seemed to notice it too, because she caught his deep brown gaze and stared at him. Her wide eyes said it all; 'she's dead', but he already knew that. Her heartbeat had stopped ringing in his ears long ago, and while part of him felt sadness, the other part didn't care. In fact it rejoiced, because it was one less threat to deal with as far as he was concerned. The wingless crow warrior in the other clearing was starting to drag the motionless Alaric away, finding him comatose. With one threat gone, his territory would be under less of a threat now, and he could relax.

Clicking his beak at the scene, the raptor leapt off of the dead branch he was perched on and flew off into the night. He had a long journey to make, and the presence of the crow over the city had been correct.

This night had brought an unnecessary death.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Bonnie and Elena were surprised to see Elijah already waiting for them in the café in Dublin. The Original vampire was slouching in one of the chairs with his eyes half-lidded, looking either extremely bored, deep in thought or dozing. His head was propped up by his arm, and as they approached, his dark eyes shot open instantly and landed on them. It was as if it had only taken him a split second to wake up.

But after so long being hunted by Klaus for Katerina's fabled escape, and the racket of the bustling crowds as they moved around him, they supposed it was to be expected.

Elijah rose immediately and straightened out his suit, patting himself down as if a layer of dust had fallen onto him while he'd waited. When they got close enough, he returned his attention to them, satisfied that he was now presentable once more.

"We can stop here and use one of the airport café's if you're hungry," he suggested casually, eyeing the two as if to make sure they were alright. It wasn't uncommon for people to experience jet-lag. He himself was feeling the effects of it right now, in fact. Even after a thousand years of country-hopping, as he'd come to call it for lack of term, he'd never got over the sensation of jet-lag. "And for any bathroom breaks you may need."

Bonnie excused herself to use the bathroom and Elena sat down with Elijah at the café. The vampire blinked a few times harshly at the counter at the other side of the indoor café, as if to clear something from his vision. "Get whatever you want to buy," he said. "I've plenty of money to throw around."

In the end while Elijah sipped at a cup of herbal mint tea, Bonnie ordered an "Irish stew" as it had been labelled on the menu, which consisted mutton, potatoes, onions and water which was coloured to make it look and taste fairly like gravy. Elena didn't feel comfortable taking money from Elijah, so she simply got a chicken sandwich and a glass of lemonade.

The dark haired man that served them seemed friendly. He'd started a brief conversation with them, asking if they looked forward to spending time in Ireland. Elijah had strangely altered his accent a little bit to better suit the air around him, which had made the man feel at ease. It had been interesting and unexpected, and Bonnie and Elena had exchanged an amused glance before the serviceman had been summoned away, but the thrill of seeing even the slightest change in character had piqued their interests for sure. Both were undoubtedly excited to see the culture around them.

Elijah pretended not to notice the mouthed words of 'oh my god' from Elena to Bonnie as he picked up his tea and took a sip. Placing it slowly down, he drew in a breath, indicating that he would like to speak.

"While we're here, we'll be staying at my-" Elena's phone rung and cut him off. The doppelgänger stared at it in surprise and annoyance, as if she'd forgotten it had been in her bag, and reached in for it. She stared at the screen.

"It's Stefan," she announced.

Elijah pressed his fingers to his lips and shook his head slightly. "They mustn't know where we are. If Klaus gets a hold on that information..."

"So what, we can't talk to any of our friends while we're here?" Elena asked.

Elijah gave her a pointed look. "Klaus is trying to kill Bonnie and kidnap you. Do you really want them to know where you are?" Elena glanced at her phone, but her response was obvious. "So don't tell them."

The doppelgänger turned off her phone and sighed, dumping it back in her bag. "I'll be right back," she excused herself, brushing some crumbs off the front of her jeans. She headed for the bathroom nearby.

"So what happens now?" Asked Bonnie warily. "Are we just going to sit here and wait for him to lose interest? How long are we even going to be here?"

Elijah glanced over towards the waiter, who brushed past them on his way to the kitchen. When he was sure that nobody else was in range of overhearing, he gazed steadily at the Bennett witch. "If everything goes smoothly, you should be here for... At least a week. Maybe just over that." He explained. "I will need to complete my research in that time."

"Research for what?"

Elijah paused, as if not completely willing to voice his plans. "I will tell you later, when not so many ears are around us. But know that you can trust me, and I have every intention of not allowing my brother to follow through with his plans." Taking another drink of his tea, he reclined slightly in his chair. "But I will tell you this. I make a promise and I intend to keep it."

"A promise?" Bonnie echoed in confusion, furrowing her brow slightly in habit. "To who?"

"Elena."

Just then the doppelgänger returned, looking much more relaxed than she had been before. "Well, if we're all finished, we should get going." She said quietly.

Outside it was pitch black – the moon was full in the sky and it was very cold. Elena couldn't help but shiver and edge closer to Bonnie, who seemed enticed by something. It was the nature around her. She could hear the plants softly whisper and squeal and wriggle with delight at seeing a new witch in Dublin. It filled her with warmth and she paused, straying from the group to peer at one of the beautiful potted plants sat in front of the airport.

In the recesses of her mind, she could hear what it was saying. It was complaining about the fumes from the jets; the poor thing was poisoned and tainted. The Bennett witch glanced around to make sure that nobody was watching, then coiled her hand around the stem, letting her magic flow through the small fountain of dirt and replenish and protect the plants from further harm.

"That feels better, doesn't it?" She whispered. The plant agreed. It's petal seemed to blow in the wind to grab a hold of her hand, thanking her for helping it. She couldn't restrain the grin that came onto her face and it pained her to leave her new-found friend, but she had to.

Bidding the small plant a farewell, she pivoted on her heel and caught Elena gazing at her in wonder. Elijah had glanced at her knowingly, as if he knew what she were doing, but he didn't mind and she didn't care, because it wasn't hurting anyone.

Returning to their side, they wandered through a few streets until they entered an alley way. Elijah gently scooped them up against him and put on a burst of his vampire speed, surging down the street like a wild tide. He skirted around cars, darted around the odd person who was still up at this godforsaken hour, and careened up towards a cluster of trees.

The journey only took about a minute, but when it was done, they were in the middle of a forest. There was very little light aside from the silver clouds and the bright white moon, which created a sense of unease about the two women. Despite their initial distrust, they were sure to keep close to the original vampire as he led them up a path.

"The trees here," Bonnie breathed in awe. "They're so healthy and alive... And so many of them..."

"This part of Dublin is rich," Elijah said coolly. "And it helps that there's a warlock that lives up here who walks the forest every weekend."

"A warlock?" Bonnie asked, interested. "Will I be able to meet him?"

Elijah smiled. "Of course. He is, after all, going to be living with you for the duration of our stay here. In fact, you might find him a very interesting young fellow."

Bonnie felt that she could relax. Witches had a special bond – a connection with each other – which meant that they looked out for one another. Since Lucy and Abby had gone she'd been the only witch around, and as a result she'd felt vulnerable. But now... Now she was free, even if it was just for a little while.

"Which reminds me," Elijah carried on smoothly with a voice as soft as silk. "Neither of you are prisoners here. You are my guests, so that means you can come and go as you please, as long as you don't stay out all night and you abide by a few... House rules."

"Rules?" Elena repeated. "Like what?"

"Not to stay out all night, not to make contact with your friends, and not to let anybody in the house unless I'm aware of it. Your rooms should be ready right now so you can go to bed as soon as you get there if you'd like to. Oh, and there'll be another vampire in the house as well, so if you could please be quiet when you get inside."

Bonnie should have known it were too good to be true. "A vampire? You mean we're not the only ones that'll be staying here?"

"Well it is my house," Elijah reminded her as a tall manor became visible on the horizon. "But yes. There are only two others that will stay with us for the time being. They'll both be asleep, so if I run you both up to your rooms? That way we don't make any noise."

The two women agreed to that readily. Then they stopped, causing Elijah to halt in mid-stride and turn back.

"I can hear water!" Elena exclaimed quietly.

At that, Elijah smiled widely. "Ah, yes, did I forget to mention that we're right beside the ocean?" Excited looks spread across their faces and he chuckled to himself. "There's a stretch of beach at the base of the cliff that belongs to me," he said. "You can swim, run, sun bathe, surf..."

"Surf?" Bonnie scoffed.

"Have you never surfed before?" Elijah asked, his eyes slightly wider in surprise. "You haven't...? That's a shame. I'll have to find room to teach you. It really is a wonderful thing, to ride upon the waves... One of nature's many quirks. Further down though the beach is open to the public, and lifeguards patrol frequently. They do sometimes come down to see if there are any swimmers in the water, but they tend to stick to the more populated areas. That means that I'll need to brief you on water safety, or get one of the lifeguards to. The rips here are very dangerous."

When they arrived at their new house, they were all stunned into silence. After riding atop a bumpy forest path, they burst into a clearing where a massive castle stood overlooking the ocean. As Elijah helped both onto the sand at the front of the house, they couldn't do anything but stare.

It was a colossal dream house, built with white brick and stone, with the body having clear attention to detail. There were many windows and some of the doors leading out towards the beach were made of glass. They were atop a cliff, which protected them from the tide, and as Elijah ushered them all inside, the sheer beauty of the house could have made them die right there.

The floor was made of wood. There were several balconies standing right at the face of the cliff, all graced with banisters to block them should they fall. The walls were white, there were tiny lights that rained soft light into the rooms and there was so much space. There was even a small garden made of wood, with steps and path ways that curled around into different parts of the house. In the middle was a gathering area with couches and a table, and they all clung to the banister as if gripping onto reality.

And that gave the most pristine, gorgeous view of the ocean.

Elijah found himself breathing in the fresh ocean air, closing his eyes and tilting his head in remembrance. There was a reason why he called this place Sanctuary.

"Oh my god," Bonnie choked out, glancing around the room with wide eyes. "You seriously own this?" She breathed, looking up to the sky and then back over her shoulder.

"It's the biggest property I own," purred Elijah, his eyes gleaming brightly. "And nowhere I would rather be. Had Elena come with me back before all of this started, I would have brought her here."

"Wow..."

"Indeed."

They lingered around the balcony for a little while longer, staring out at the beach. It was the middle of the night now and the reflection across the ocean was like glitter to their eyes.

It was such a relief to be back. Elijah hadn't been lying when he'd said that there was nowhere he would rather be. He loved the beach and loved Ireland, so it was a perfect combination. Bonnie and Elena chatted to each other as Elijah stepped over to the edge of the balcony and to a path that led down to the beach. Because they were on a cliff with a steep drop, it banked towards the side of the house and then down to the edge of the forest, then wound around to connect with the sand at the edge of the beach.

He'd originally seen the house just before the 1900's started and bought it, upgrading it where necessary and visiting it every now and again when he needed a rest from his family. Only he knew about it, and there was a reason why he didn't want Klaus to know about it. Not even Rebekah or Kol knew, though they probably would soon.

A yawn from behind him gave away the exhausted state of the doppelgänger and the witch. With a polite gesture to ask permission, he grabbed them both around their waists and hurried them to their rooms.

From within two separate rooms opposite the corridor, the sound of soft snores reached his ears, soon followed by two more. Elijah found himself mildly apprehensive and excited. They'd have a surprise when they woke up, he was sure of that...


	6. Duncan and Philip

Elijah knew the two were coming downstairs before they even started descending the steps. The summer sun basked him in its glorious light as he stood on the outside of the porch and gazed out across the ocean with a glass of whiskey in his hand. It was nine in the morning and he hadn't slept at all – not because of jet-lag, but simply because he hadn't got settled.

It was a habit by now to drink a glass of whiskey each morning just to start his day. This whiskey was laced with blood which made it part of his "breakfast". When Elena and Bonnie both stepped out into the fresh morning air, their heartbeats burst back into an excited state and started pounding. They exchanged hushed whispers that he didn't pay much attention to, unless they roused him from his thoughts with a nervous nudge to his shoulder.

His eyes instantly shot to the limb, following it up to see Elena, who was biting her lip. "Sorry, you weren't listening," she said.

"It's fine. Are you hungry?"

"Slightly," Bonnie confessed. "But we're wondering about our, uh... Dorm mates? When will we meet them?"

"They should wake in, mmm..." Glancing at his watch, he judged the time limit. "Half an hour. Do you want to make something or would you like me to?"

"Oh, no it's fine," Bonnie shrugged, "I can make some food. Um, then can we go down onto the beach?"

Elijah blinked. "Why are you asking permission?" He asked. "I already said last night, you can come and go as you please, as long as you don't go into the water on your own."

Then he pivoted on his heel smoothly as two voices echoed from inside the house, growing louder and louder. "Well if you didn't put the candy there, where'd it come from?" Asked one voice.

"Good thinking. I didn't put it there but I still know where it came from. If I did, don't you think I would have..."

Elena and Bonnie fell silent and they looked to the older vampire for an explanation.

Elijah cocked his head and then strode into the middle of the balcony, gazing up into the dream house. Suddenly two boys, looking about the age of nine and seven, appeared in the living room. The oldest, a pale boy with short hair darker than charcoal, froze, glanced over his shoulder to see the Original, and stared with wide gemstone eyes.

The younger, who had chocolate coloured skin, followed his gaze. His eyes were almond brown and he had braided shoulder-length brown hair several shades darker than his skin. There was a moment of deafening silence and then Elijah's head quirked in amusement.

Both children screamed, and then raced out onto the balcony, ploughed into the Original and sent him crashing onto one of the sofas. Elijah grunted at the impact and straightened up, which was considerably hard to do since both boys were clinging to him like a lifeline. They straddled each of his legs and forced his chin up onto their shoulders.

Elena and stared at the two boys as if they'd each grown eight more heads. They were so sure that Elijah would get up any second and tear them apart, but instead the Original just sat in the chair and let them hold on.

"We haven't seen you in two years!" Whined the eldest, whose voice was racked with sobs.

The younger was already in tears, crying into his chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Elijah pointed out coolly, as if people crying into him was a daily occurrence. The two boys together wrapped their arms around his throat and shook with grief, and though Elijah's eyes sharpened at the closeness to his neck, he pulled them closer. "I should have called earlier. I'm sorry. I had some problems in Mystic Falls."

"You never called or wrote," the raven-haired boy went on blindly. "I felt you get hurt several times but you never came back. I thought you were..."

"I know, child." Elijah soothed. "Very little can harm me. I just had a rough time tying up some... Loose ends."

The boy with chocolate coloured skin whimpered and pulled away slightly. His voice was rather squeaky and high pitched. "If it weren't for the fact you're tired, I'd hit you right now!"

Elijah snorted. "Hard?"

"_Very_ hard," huffed the boy. "So hard you'd feel it for_ five_ whole seconds!" And then he returned to clinging.

"Who gave you a bad time?" Asked the pale boy, sitting up on his knee. "I'll beat them up for you."

"I'm quite capable of solving my own problems, Philip."

Philip, whose eyes looked like two emeralds sitting beneath a gentle spray of water from a fall, wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Well if you could, you would have come home sooner, wouldn't you?"

Elijah choked on his breath and found himself smiling. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He inquired. "Just because I can sort things out myself doesn't mean it still won't take time."

"Yeah, well... I... Um..." The seven year old looked abashed. "Shut up!"

Elijah snorted well naturedly. "I should chastise you for that."

"Send me to my room?" Philip suggested.

"Where all your stuff is? I don't think so."

Elijah was acutely aware of the two women staring at him from across the patio. Perhaps he shouldn't have ignored them, but he was pleased to see the two children once more after two years of absence. In fact, the youngest of the two was so pleased to see him that he hadn't stopped crying into his shoulder. Elijah rubbed smooth circles on his back and exhaled a thin gust of air into a soft hiss. The sound had the desired effect, and after a few moments of whimpering, the child fell silent.

"Let it all out, Duncan," he whispered, angling his head to look at the dark skinned boy. Though he didn't pause in his ministrations, he glanced up to Bonnie and Elena. They looked both surprised and awe-struck at the same time, as if this scene was adorable.

"I shouldn't have left. I'm sorry."

Through his tears, Duncan muffled an accented, "Not your fault."

"You had to go and deal with things," Philip agreed, sidling up to the Original. "What happened while you were away? I felt you get hurt several times, and I don't mean a papercut. It felt more like... You'd gone into a really deep sleep."

"I had," Elijah confessed. "Several times, in fact. Let's just say that I tried to make some friends and they didn't give me a chance to help them."

Philip's voice was thick with shock. "They tried to kill you?"

Duncan stared at the Original. His almond brown eyes were wide with hurt, fear and anger. Power crackled around his body like angry whips.

Fury glistened in Elijah's eyes like chained lightning. "I'm afraid so. But it's over now, or at least it should be. I've brought some people here who have come for protection. These two women here."

Both children looked over to where Elena and Bonnie were. Bonnie was smiling, and her dark eyes were fixed on Duncan in curiosity. "That dark one," Duncan implored curiously. "Is she a witch?"

"Well, why don't you meet them? I'm sure since you'll be sharing the house now, you should get to know them a little more. I think they're a bit overwhelmed that the _mean old Elijah _actually tolerates kids."

"Yeah," snickered Philip with a toothy grin. "They're _so_ surprised."

Elijah simply hummed in affirmation. "Tomorrow I have to start doing some research and looking into things, making arrangements..."

"Huh? Can't you play with us for a while?"

"I'll try, but I'm afraid this cannot wait," Elijah sighed. "Otherwise you know I would."

"What is it you're here to research?" Asked Duncan out of curiosity. He was disappointed but he didn't let it show.

Elijah pursed his lips and tapped an ear with his finger. "I cannot speak of it here. But know that if all goes well, we will have many years to spend together, right here in our home."

Duncan lifted his pinkie finger. "Just like you promised?"

Elijah reached out, entwining his with the child's. "Just as I promised."

"You're the best Uncle we could ever ask for, Eli," said Philip, and wrapped his arms around the Original for a hug.

Elijah, though touched by the words spoken to him, snorted half heartedly. "Now you're making me sound old."

Philip's eyes were bright . "That's because you _are._" The teary-eyed elder child lifted his head and stared at the two women who stood just off the side, biting their lips and looking confused. "So who are they?"

Elijah glanced at them. "They're friends," he said, which wasn't far from the truth. Acquaintances was more like it, but he didn't want to explain their relationship in detail. Patting the younger boy's shoulder blades, he gently pried himself free and supported them as they sat on his lap. "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Well, um, I'm Elena Gilbert," Elena chimed in, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Um... Eighteen, and..."

"Human," Elijah supplied.

Bonnie folded one leg over the other. "And I'm Bonnie Bennett. Eighteen. A witch."

The pale, raven-haired boy grabbed onto Elijah's knee and leaned forward, straddling his leg. "I'm Philip Shora," said the boy. His green eyes resembled emeralds and glowed brightly under the sun. "I'm one hundred and nine years old and a vampire."

The younger-looking boy with darker skin sniffed and gazed curiously at the three. "And I'm Duncan Bennett. About seventy-three years old and a warlock."

Bonnie stared incredulously at Duncan. "But you look about five!" She exclaimed.

"His parents got into a fight and he was hit by a stray spell," Elijah murmured, squeezing Duncan's shoulder as the warlock snuggled back against his chest. "It stopped him from ageing and left him trapped within a five year old's body, but he has magical abilities as any other witch or warlock does upon maturity."

Bonnie felt a twinge of guilt for her words, and gazed at the other Bennett boy. He definitely had "the Bennett look", as Bonnie called it. It was when she swore someone was related to them, because there was a certain look in their eyes and a darkness of their skin that she felt similar to. Granted that Duncan's skin was a fair few shades darker than her own. The last person to have held both had been Lucy Bennett, and though Bonnie hadn't heard from the witch since the parting at the airport, she couldn't forget the fiercely loyal expression in her eyes.

Swallowing her anxiety, she murmured an apology and asked, "Are we related?"

"Yes," Duncan sniffed. "Several branches of our family scattered all across the world. Who are your parents?"

Bonnie bit the inside of her lip. She was excited that she had finally found someone else that shared her bloodline, but at the same time she had so many questions. "Abby was my mother... My grandmother was called Sheila."

"Oh," Duncan nodded thoughtfully. "I remember Sheila Bennett. She was like my mother's sister, so I guess that makes me... Your great uncle. I think."

Bonnie found herself smiling. Philip gazed steadily at Elena, tilting his head as if he'd acquired the habit from Elijah. "Is she...?"

"Off limits," Elijah said strictly. "No biting."

"Okay." Philip sniffed.

Elena examined Philip. There was a sharp wisdom in his eyes despite his youthful appearance. The one hundred and nine year old settled back against Elijah, nestling into his arm. "I didn't think children could be turned," she said. There was an element of shock in her voice. Never before had she seen such a young vampire, and there were unspoken questions flooding out of her eyes. It was strange to see someone so young looking, but know that he's just about six times her age.

"Generally children as young as five can be turned," growled Elijah, "Though why anybody would do that is beyond me. The stronger and older the vampire is, the greater chance that they will adapt to the transition."

"So, from the disgusted tone of your voice, I take it you didn't turn him?" Elena asked.

Anger filled Philip's bright eyes. "He would never!" He spat crossly, grabbing a fistful of the Original's shirt.

"Calm," Elijah murmured in the boy's ear.

Philip bristled, and then settled, staring out across the ocean. "He saved me when I was nine years old. I owe him my life."

"You owe me nothing. Family has no debts," Elijah corrected. "Let's go and walk on the beach for a while. I'm sure you want to catch up," he supplied casually.

Duncan leapt off of Elijah, practically kicking him in the belly. "I'll get the Frisbee!"

Elijah huffed and leaned forward. He moved to place Philip down on the ground, but the vampire leaned up instead, pulling him down with him.

"Can I trust them?" Philip asked Elijah.

_That_ was a question that Elijah himself had yet to answer. He stared at the two, watching them intently. Surely they wouldn't dare to try and hurt him? If they did, Elijah would snap their necks faster than they could blink.

"Yes," he said carefully. A burning glare in his eyes made sure that the others knew what would happen if they broke that trust. "You can trust them."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Stefan paced the room, angry, worried, concerned. Elena had been missing all night now and they'd not managed to break the spell around the school to get out. Klaus was snarling at Tyler for something but the young vampire wasn't listening to a word they were saying. He wanted equally as much to vent his pent up anger, but since shouting at anyone in here would end up with him splattered all over the wall, he didn't want to risk it.

So he resulted to an attempt to wear a hole in the floor.

"Would you stop – that bloody pacing!" Caroline shouted. "It's driving me up the wall!"

Or he had been. With a frustrated growl, Stefan threw himself onto one of the seats in the auditorium. Thank god it was the school summer holidays, otherwise they'd have a lot more trouble than they'd figured.

Damon and returned, grabbed Meredith Fell and whisked her away with a haunted look on his face. By reason that he hadn't said so much as a word before stealing the surgeon from their grasp, he figured that something horrible had happened, but as of yet nobody had said a word. It was then that he got a phone call from his elder brother, and in his annoyance in being left in the dark, almost slammed it into the side of his own head.

"Now you call?" He snarled. "What's going on, Damon?"

Klaus looked over from where he was talking with Tyler, but said nothing and simply listened.

"Stefan, I've found Alaric," Damon said over the phone, but Stefan couldn't miss the hint of concern in his voice. Klaus, who didn't seem to know the meaning of the word privacy, hovered beside him eagerly.

"And?" Stefan asked, conscious that the original vampire-slash-hybrid was right behind him.

There was a moment of silence as Damon redirected his conversational efforts elsewhere, and then he returned to the call. "He was in the cemetery. I think Esther performed some kind of spell on him – or tried to. I know we need him to tell us where he's taken Elena and Bonnie, but he won't wake up."

"Won't wake up, as in...?" Klaus asked. Stefan repeated the question.

Damon sighed. "As in he's comatose, Stefan. He can't wake up. Meredith's trying everything she can think of but there's only so many drugs she can pump into his system at one time and not kill him. She's tried several things but they've still not managed to cause a react- NO!"

"Damon? Damon!" Stefan shouted down the phone. There was a loud click and breath against the speaker as if the phone had been dropped, then Meredith's urgent tone from the other side.

"He's seizing! Get that table away from the– No! Don't hold him down! Get me some back up in here."

Then the phone went dark. Eyes were staring at him from all directions – Tyler, Caroline, Klaus...

Stefan's heart froze.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elijah was their chauffeur into the marketplace of Dublin once his Cadillac Escalade SUV had been ferried to them. The shotgun seat was empty since everyone was in the back of the massive vehicle, getting to know each other better. He was confident that they would get along famously, but just in case, he wanted to keep an eye on them.

Doppelgänger blood was viciously tempting for vampires to 'taste', and was as addicting as opium to a cocaine dealer. A feeling of elation that was often too great to pass up. While he didn't doubt Philip's self control, on several times Elena had been known to accidentally harm herself from time to time.

Dublin was bustling with over-active crowds and masses of different shops and motorists. By the time Elijah managed to find a place to park – which consequently took up two spaces because of his motor's giant bulk – it was clearing midday. Shops were still wide awake and the sun was bright in the sky.

They walked around for a few minutes until Elijah found the bank and waited outside as he withdrew some money. When he got back outside, the two former Mystic Falls residents were in awe at their surroundings, but also slightly nervous.

"There's plenty of time for shopping and other activities," said the original, bringing them to a quiet corner of the great capital of Ireland. He fiddled around in his pockets as he tried to find something. "I trust you both to stay together and not to run off or do anything otherwise worthy of less intelligent people. We'll meet back at the car park in... Say five hours. That should give you enough time to look around and buy yourselves some clothes and necessities."

Bonnie was overwhelmed by the city. Mystic Falls had generally been a quiet town with a peaceful aura, not wild like this. As she processed all of the information, she mustered enough strength to ask, "But we don't have any money on us."

"I have thought about that, so I shall give you some." Elijah stated casually, as if throwing money around was completely normal to him. "And also something else." Reaching into his pocket, he produced three dog whistles, which he gave to Elena, Bonnie and Duncan. When the Bennett witch and doppelgänger stared at him as if he'd lost it, he explained, "Our hearing is very acute and we can pick up high pitched sounds, like the one produced from these whistles, with no problem. If you get lost or into trouble, blow on the whistle and I'll come and find you."

"Blow on it for like three seconds at least twice," Philip suggested. "That way we don't get confused and chase after some stray dog owner."

Elijah nodded in confirmation, then pulled out a few envelopes with cash hidden inside. He distributed them amongst the group of five and saw yet more questioning gazes from the two women. "That should keep you occupied for a while. Anything left over you can keep for yourselves."

"How much is this?" Gawked Bonnie, staring in shock at the contents of the envelope. "There must be at least one hundred pounds in here!"

"Well of course, Bonnie. I don't know about other people but when I have guests, I treat them well. You shouldn't be wandering around in cheap clothes while you're here in Dublin. I hope twenty thousand each will suffice?"

"Twenty-" Elena choked on her words.

Duncan and Philip hardly seemed phased. "Thanks Eli!" They carolled, eyes bright with excitement before they rushed off hand in hand.

"Don't spend it all on sweets!" He called after them in warning. With a quick smirk at the two gobsmacked women, he vanished into the crowd. "Have fun," he said.

"Now what do we do?" Bonnie hissed. Her mind was still trying to climb the indomitable Mount Everest to comprehend what had just happened. "I'd figured he'd give us about a hundred pounds, but.. This much?"

Elena fumbled over her words so much that she in the end gave up, pocketed the cash and dragged her friend away. It felt wrong taking his money and things but she knew he had a point. They would need clothes and other necessities to have a comfortable stay at his house. Part of her was wondering why he was being so generous, and then the other part of her said, "Well it's the decent thing to do."

So they resigned themselves to have a good time, keeping their whistles and budget close.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The Lijagulep stalked towards the large brown stallion, ears flat and claws itching in their sheathes. "Well?" Growled the she-cat, the tip of her tail fitting from side to side. "What did you want me for? Don't you know I have more important things to do than sit here and listen to you complain?"

The stallion didn't seem disturbed by the wild cat's presence. He tossed back his head, reared up onto his hind legs and stomped both of his legs at once. "You're so emotional," gasped the horse mockingly. "Are you in heat?"

The Lijagulep let out a frustrated roar, her spotted tawny fur standing on end and claws digging into the earth.

The chocolate brown male backed away slightly, partially out of fear, and rounded the predator again. "Alright, alright, don't get your tail tangled up!" He whickered. "I wanted you to meet me here because I have some juicy information for you, courtesy of our herd leader."

At this the Lijagulep's ears perked with interest. "What does our littermate wish to meow?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Teased the male. The Lijagulep narrowed her eyes in warning and he snorted. "Fine. The great wind wall will take approximately two weeks to buck down. We just need a servant of the land."

"Two weeks?" Questioned the she-cat.

The stallion shrugged and turned his head, blinking. His dark grey snout flared as he scented the air around him. "Apparently the wind wall is very strong. The two-hooves will not be able to get rid of it unless time is taken to prepare for the task."

"Why do you call it the wind wall?"

Rotating his ear around, the stallion lay down on the grass and rolled over. "Because it cannot be seen, cannot be touched and it is powerful and untameable, just like the wind. But it's there, and it can touch you."

After a moment of thought, the she-cat nodded. "An apt description," she rumbled, sitting down on her haunches. "We have no names, so why don't we give each other one?"

Interested, the stallion's ears flicked. "What did you have in mind?"

The Lijagulep peeled back her lip. "Well for you I was thinking Dung-face," she spat crossly. "Since you insist on being a whiny cub."

The stallion huffed and rolled onto his side, kicking out with one hoof. The she-cat darted out of the way and pounced, clinging to his shoulder and snarling into his ear. With no way to get up with the massive wild cat on him, he let his head fall.

"Better." She lifted her head in satisfaction. "But really, I was thinking something like... Boreas."

"Borris?" Screamed the stallion, flailing so suddenly that he knocked the she-cat off. "You are not calling me Borris!"

"Boreas! I meowed Boreas!" Exclaimed the she-cat, trying to escape his flailing hooves.

Confused the stallion stopped. "Boreas?"

"Yes," bristled the she-cat, her fur standing on end and shoulders tense. She settled back onto the ground. "A two-paw that apparently had wings."

Looking at his shoulders as if to check nothing had happened, the stallion whickered, "But I have no wings..."

The Lijagulep hid her face under her paws, ashamed at the stallion's lack of intelligence. "Fine. Sumatra, then."

"Sumatra?"

The Lijagulep rolled her eyes. "A squall with violent thunder, lightning and rain that is made worse by strong mountain breezes." She explained.

A contemplative look flickered over the stallion's dark eyes and then he threw back his head. "Sumatra. Sounds like something that will attract the mares!"

"Definitely," groaned the she-cat.

Sumatra rolled back onto his round belly. "While we're on the theme of wind, how about I call you Tuonare?" He asked. "To thunder, or boom."

The she-cat glared at him. "I do _not_ boom," she growled.

Sumatra grinned. "You do when you're having fun," he nickered, blowing at her face. "At least that's what they tell me."

The she-cat crashed into him with a furious roar and wrangled with the larger horse. The brown stallion kicked her off, deftly rolled onto his feet and took off. She scrambled to her paws and charged across the field, yowling a challenge. It might have been a good idea, but the stallion did not hear it, and instead bounded away whenever the tawny Lijagulep drew near.

"Fine! How about Aurum?" He queried, turning around to face her. She pounced, landing squarely on his back, digging her claws into his shoulders. "It means golden."

"What about Aura?" Spat the she-cat. "Sumatra makes you sound old, but that doesn't mean I want to!"

"Fine! Fine! Just get off!" Pleaded Sumatra. He almost added, 'You're heavy', but decided to hold his tongue before she ripped it out. Even he wouldn't go that far.

With a huff, the newly named Aura settled on the grass and smiled with greedy satisfaction. Sumatra snorted and circled around once before he settled beside her, his body curled into hers slightly. "You're such a grump," he complained.

"So go leap a gorge," she muttered. Golden ears drew back and she lowered her head onto her paws, thinking...


	7. White Oak

Klaus, who was swimming in a volcano of rage and hate, rounded on his old friend. "When he wanted to cause a reaction, it's meant to _help_ him, not _kill_ him."

"As if it's _my_ fault, Klaus," Stefan's face wrinkled up in disgust as he locked eyes with the hybrid. "They're doing what they can – so can you please _shut up –_ and maybe help us think of a way to get out of here, rather than take out your anger on everything that moves?"

Sensing a bitter, potentially violent argument coming on, Caroline steeled her nerves. "Can't we just break the trail of salt? Y'know, kick it or something?" Asked the vampire desperately. "Alaric needs help, and so do Elena and Bonnie!"

Her panicked tone seemed to snap Klaus out of his vicious temper. After a last long glare at his "friend" - the relationship was fairly difficult now – he stormed away and headed back outside to see if there was anything else he could do.

"Maybe I should try calling Elena again," Stefan thought out loud. "Tyler, do you know any witches that we might be able to call?"

Tyler shook his head dejectedly. "Only werewolves that I met in the mountains," he replied. "But they're nowhere near here."

"Well isn't the bond strong between wolves?" Caroline asked hopefully. "If you told them what was going on, maybe they'd come here to help..."

Tyler shook his head and glanced outside to where Klaus was. Stefan followed his glance, at first confused, but then he understood. Klaus would turn them and make them his followers. Tyler had come back to test to see if the sire bond had been broken. The link between werewolves was strong but it was also a weakness at times.

"It's the aftermath of a full moon," Tyler voiced quickly, in case Klaus was listening. "The werewolves will be disorientated and most likely injured from their transformations. I wouldn't want to risk them getting hurt even more than they are."

"What?" The voice was loud from outside the school. The three remaining vampires looked up and rushed out to see what the commotion was about.

There, dressed in black, was a very agitated looking original. Rebekah's hair was unusually tied up and had obviously gotten changed before returning to the school. She stood at a safe distance from the house and bit her lip.

"Esther's run off," she said. "I looked around to try and find out what happened. It seems like she tried to turn Alaric into a vampire – and succeeded. I found his blood on a white oak stake, which I've burned, but it doesn't make sense. I've also spoken to Damon and if he had gone through transition, he would be awake by now. He _should_ be awake by now, even if he hasn't."

Klaus looked both horrified and furious. "Where is she now? I'll kill-"

Rebekah shook her head. "She's gone, Nick. Ran away like the coward she is," the vampire's voice dripped with venom so strong it could kill an entire civilisation at the sound of one syllable. "Kol and I are looking for a witch to help us break to curse."

"And Elijah?"

"He's hunting her down," Rebekah said smoothly. "He'll call us if he needs any back up, but we think that she might have needed Elena's blood to turn him into a vampire or extra power from another witch seeing as though she just got teleported to god knows where. He thinks she knows where the doppelgänger wench and the witch are."

"Keep him on that," Klaus said. "Well done, sister."

Rebekah smiled and then moved to rush away. Stefan's voice halted her.

"You said Alaric was possibly turned into a vampire," he called loudly, hoping that she would wait to answer him before running off. "But that can't be. He still has a heartbeat, and vampires in transition are already..."

"Already dead." Rebekah finished for him. "So that leaves you room for two guesses; she failed, or she succeeded and Alaric was somehow brought back to life."

"But who could do such a thing?" He asked.

Rebekah twisted the inside of her lip between her teeth and answered dispassionately, "Witches."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

When Damon heard the news at midday, the first thing he wanted to do was roar 'No!' and slam the phone down, but his heart felt like an elephant was climbing on top of it, and his vocal cords were ringing in his ears like it was trying to tell him something. But then he realised if something was going wrong, and Alaric was in transition somehow, he needed to lock down this section of the hospital. Despite the reek of antiseptic and cheap food, the scent of blood was still faint on the air, making him crave for something to quench his thirst.

Meredith sighed and entered the room, looking reproachful. "I've cleared the floor based on the suspicion that there may be a contaminant," she informed him. "But I had to pull _a lot _of strings and tell quite a few lies to my superiors. They're having a specialised team come down and check for diseases, and if necessary, quarantine the entire floor."

"How long does that give us?"

Meredith swept a strand of her long oak hair behind her ear. "Not long. About an hour? It depends on when they get here."

But Damon didn't hear the rest; just 'about an hour. "If he is in transition it's no wonder why he won't wake up," he murmured to himself. "Boy, Alaric's gonna be pissed when he finds out he might be a vampire."

"But won't he die if he doesn't get blood in twenty four hours of death?" The surgeon asked, moving to his side to check his vital signs. "That is technically how this process works, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Damon said delicately. "But then again no vampire in transition has had a beating heart..."

"So what does that mean?"

Damon turned to look at her, disturbed. "It means he might not be turning after all. But then it would mean its just a regular coma, in which I believe it's even worse off for him."

Meredith patted down her long white coat and pressed the stethoscope against the patient's chest. "Well yes. The longer someone is comatose, the more damage is done. If he does wake up but not soon, there's a chance he could be brain damaged."

"How long can we keep him hooked up?"

"You mean if he keeps breathing?" The founder said bluntly, then sighed, looking apologetically at the worried vampire. "Considering how much it costs to keep one of these things running and the effect it can have on him, if he goes over thirty days..."

Damon felt a shark snap at his chest. "You'd rather save money than save your _boyfriend_?" He demanded.

Meredith's eyes burned in anger. "It's not just him, Damon," she snapped. "There are other patients who need the resources that this hospital can provide. We're not even sure that he'll need these – he isn't responding to them at all. Not a blink, twitch... He can't even breathe on his own. I know it's Alaric... And I love him _so_ much, but if it has to come down to him and saving ten other people..." Her eyes glistened with tears. "Even though he's a good man, Damon, he's not worth that cost. I'd be a negligent doctor if I ignored that."

Damon was eerily silent for a minute, trying to process all of the information. Alaric – his best _human_ friend was possibly dying. His step daughter was missing; his adopted son oblivious, himself...

Allowing himself a crooked, rare smile, he gazed with an encouraging sadness at Meredith. It was the only thing he could do – the only thing he trusted himself to do – to comfort her. If I ever get my hands on Esther, he thought, I'll tear her limb – from limb – until she begs me to kill her.

Little did he know that Esther was already dead.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Rebekah gave her brother a hearty nudge as he sleepily rolled over in his birds nest of a bed. The original had been up all night at the concert for System of a Down and his ears were still ringing, and his throat numb, even though it had already healed from his constant howling. God, that had been the best thing in his life, and as he woke up from the instant replay in his head, he came face to face with the blonde angel.

"Baby sis?" He yawned, sitting up in his bed, rubbing at his eyes. "Come on, I've been up all night. Can't I sleep for like, five more minutes?"

"Knowing you, five minutes will turn into five days," snorted Rebekah bluntly. Kol shot an exhausted glare at her but she continued, "Klaus thinks we're out searching for a witch to break the spell. He also thinks that Elijah's out chasing Esther because she knows where Elena and Bonnie are."

Kol huffed and fell back down onto the bed, groaning as if in pain. "So? Let him stay there. It's not like he can hurt anyone but himself."

Rebekah had to agree but still, there was little time for that. "We need to give him until the end of the week if we can. I don't know if Nick has contact with any witches, so if he does it's going to make our job a lot harder."

"'N hav' ya dun sum resea'ch int' the – ahhh – spell?" Kol yawned again, stretching in his bed.

Rebekah deftly pulled the covers off of him, eliciting a sharp, annoyed howl from her older brother. He was only dressed in his trousers, which he hadn't bothered to take off the night before. "Yes. I've found that it will take maybe two witches to break, but Klaus doesn't need to know that," she smirked. Then rolled her eyes as Kol tried to pull the covers back on top of him. "In any case, if we find just one witch, we can have them attempt to break the spell, and pretend that we didn't know we needed a second. That way not only get to wind our brother up, we can also stall for more time."

Kol gave a massive yank on the covers that almost sent Rebekah crashing onto the bed. "You talk too much, baby sister. We need to _find_ one first," he growled, kicking the edges of the cover off of the bed and snuggling back into his pillow. "I'm going to sleep, and let our dear brother wait until I can be bothered. I think I hear them playing Toxicity in my head... Mmm, I should play the drums later."

Rebekah smirked broadly. Kol was possibly the worst person to try and get out of bed in the morning. Usually it was Nick who did the honours – they would argue, get Kol riled up, and he'd storm off upstairs dragging Elijah with him to play some music, just to piss off Klaus in return. Usually it chased the drum-loathing hybrid out of the house, but one time he'd gone up and tried to destroy Kol's drumset.

He'd soon wished he hadn't.

"Well then," Rebekah circled around the bed and headed for the door. "Have at it, brother. I'm sure your precious _System of a Down _ won't wait for you."

Kol moaned in agreement and fell back to sleep, all the while thinking how it should be an occupation to lie in bed and sleep all day.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Rebekah washed off the white oak stake in the bathroom sink, scrubbing at the bloodied point carefully as not to cut herself. Just holding the lethal weapon made her blood boil, even though it technically wasn't her blood. There was something odd about it – the weapon had spirals of glinting metal down it, which wasn't natural at all. She'd tried to break it before she'd decided to keep it, but no matter how many times she'd hit it or thrown it or tried crushing it beneath her foot, it hadn't broken. She'd burned it, but it hadn't burned. She'd even tried dipping it in hot water to loosen the wood but it had only ended up with her getting burned.

It was a good object to work out with for sure, but she didn't like it. It was as if it were indestructible.

As soon as the blood was scrubbed from the pale wooden object she raced into her room and unlocked a chest she used for storing all of her important things. She had a long wooden box that she'd got from a witch once, which repelled any supernatural being from touching it aside from the owner of the box, whose name was carved somewhere on the inside for all time. Kol had gotten it for her birthday and she used it to hide important things – her diary, her contacts, even a few other magical items like a daylight ring and a few bags of Niklaus's blood that he had given her in case any of her vampire friends ever got bitten by a werewolf and needed her help.

The box itself was wooden and lined with a gold and purple ribbon, slitted with small holes for the thin fabric to weave through. Inside, as she plucked out a key from a chain around her neck to release the lock, there was a black velvet lining. That had come from Elijah as an extremely late gift – a token of his undying love for his youngest sibling. It had once contained a necklace that was silver, with her name etched onto it, and a small carving of a horse rearing onto its hind legs.

Back in the old era, over one thousand years ago, it had been Elijah's job the provide wood for the entire village. Not just any wood though – he had been a carpenter, which explained his taut muscles and attentiveness to detail. It also explained Klaus's ability to draw – he'd started out as an artist with a side-job as a "blacksmith", but Elijah had needed someone to design wardrobes, closets and tables for him, and that had been Klaus's job. Elijah had also crafted bows and arrows for the villagers to use should they ever be under attack, which had happened every now and again, but none knew more so how to use them than Elijah.

Granted their father Mikael hadn't deemed Klaus's sketches a necessary skill, it had helped to set food on the table – that his son had made – that he and Elijah both traded the works for. Money hadn't been an issue back then; it had just been exchanges of one item for another of equal value or interest. Elijah had been good at making deals with the locals, and that had built the foundations for his never ending fondness to make deals with other people as well.

Rebekah smiled fondly at those memories and pushed the cream white stake into the box, then stashed it away where nobody but her could touch it. At the end of the week, or whenever Elijah called them to join him in Ireland, she would bring the chest with her, giving them a powerful enough weapon to finally kill her older half-brother.

All they had to do was wait.

Rebekah had never been one to forgive those who hurt her, betrayed her or stabbed her in the back. It was the case with Elena, which was even more obvious than humans needed to breathe. But she'd always had one grudge that had spanned over the course of the millennium. A grudge upon her brother, Klaus.

He had been the one to ruin it all. The war between the vampires and the werewolves had been a mistake forged in the prejudice of one simple minded human – their father. It had been confined to the village. Klaus had burned it down, erasing any hope of allowing peace to fall between the races. For the few friends she had made, some had been bitten by werewolves and perished and she was sure that they might – _might –_ not have happened if the war hadn't started.

And then there was the fact that he'd stripped her of her freedom by stabbing her in the back several times without mercy or warning. From the loving brother he had once been, he'd become twisted and corrupt, stealing others away from their families against their will and transmuting them into something that was considered an even bigger abomination of nature than vampires themselves.

He was selfish, greedy and willing to kill to get whatever he wanted. Elijah had always been cautious of him – one thousand years ago, he'd held a closer bond with his pure blooded siblings, and did so even now. Rebekah had once seen an excerpt of her oldest brother's private journal, which she'd accidentally found one day and thought it to be some kind of book. It had held the title, but that, she'd learned, was just a guise. It had been the turning point – the point where she'd decided to join Elijah's side to plot against their half-brother.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

_Half bloods breed bad blood. That was one of my father's philosophies one thousand years ago. He said that werewolves were the result of tainted blood – witches that went bad, he said, that fell out of favour with "the Almighty". When Klaus was revealed to be the creation of disloyalty, selfishness, lust and deceit, that view was only intensified into a greater hatred. Dishonesty is something that I came to abhor to when I found out about my mother's betrayal. But in some respects I wasn't really surprised._

_The aggressiveness typically associated with having the gene. The competitiveness and need for a mate. The blatant disrespect for authority, and the way that he would hang out with the werewolves – idolise them. I remember Cross, son of the man that Esther had held her affair with, who was the Lockwood "leader of the pack". The worst influence possible. So many times I got hurt trying to protect him, but over and over he went back to them. To Cross, who was his half-brother._

_It was that time when it all started, I remember. Cross humiliated, berated and beat my youngest brother, Henrik, in front of them all while Klaus watched. He WATCHED. Never before had I felt so much rage._

_So I challenged him to a duel. Two warriors from the greatest families in the village. A werewolf versus a servant of nature. It was only myself and Rebekah who inherited the "gene". Henrik was too young to start showing the signs, but he liked to watch Esther teach us._

_Anyway, Cross was a formidable enemy with his enhanced strength. He broke my left leg, left severe contusions across my arms and shoulders and cracked one of my ribs before I finally managed to take him down with a combination of magic and physical strength. I left a pretty nasty scar across his face – ruined his "good looks" as he called it, though I have to admit even now he looked more like a starved vulture with that scruffy, slimy dump of hair and the bulging, bloodshot eyes. They respected him for his strength back then but he never recovered after his defeat. Even Niklaus was disappointed in him. He was a brute – no intelligence, no strategy. If a punch missed or didn't knock out the target the first time, "pun-che agen, c iff it dun mis"._

_Mikael was so proud as Esther and Rebekah tended to my wounds. He had been there to see the battle. Not often did his eyes gleam as bright as that day. I'd restored the honour to the family at least._

_But Klaus concerned me, even then. He saw his youngest brother getting bullied – was asked to stop – and he simply let it go on._

_I don't trust him. Finn says he's bad news. Esther says he's just being the troublesome apprentice and he'll grow out of it._

_Mikael says he's trouble. I always thought he was right._


	8. Wes and the Dolphin

Day three; only eleven more to go before he had to go with what he had or spend more time than he had searching for answers. Elijah was deep into his research in his library of history books and letters from friends. Papers were neatly placed across every inch of the table and there were candles all around him, giving him light. There were many shelves and tables placed across the room; a place where he stored records of events gone by, a place where noise was not forbidden but not encouraged, and a place of relaxation as well, judging by the soft plush chairs by the window overlooking the water.

Stationed in a dark corner the desk-bound original found himself reading one line over and over again, trying to make sense of it. It was from a letter he'd received from a friend – a witch – up in Paris not too long ago, telling him that there were hybrids roaming the streets like a swarm of bees blessed with a path of endless honey and flowers. Apparently he'd managed to track some of them using a locator spell, back to a single point, which he'd found on the map as an old abandoned mansion.

'_I have reason to believe that they are guarding something, or hiding it,' _the note read. _'I can sense a powerful magical object in the place that it is hidden but I am much too close to the truth than I should be. I don't know whether they know I'm aware of their activities. They don't seem interested in me but that doesn't mean they're unaware of my presence. I want to find out what it is they're hiding, but with my daughter and wife here with me, to risk them would be too... Well, let's just say I don't feel like playing sacrificial lamb any time soon. I just thought you should know, since you asked me if I'd seen anything strange.'_

Elijah knew that this point was one that he needed to visit, so he'd pitched up a map to the wall and plotted a course from his current position in Dublin all the way up to the mansion in Paris, which was in a secluded spot at the edge of the famed city.

He just had one more place to find, but he had no leads at all. After two days of research, he was tired and in need of a break, but he knew that if he didn't find his answers soon... He was looking for three objects; one that he had once held, and one that had once been in his possession before he had hidden it, and one that he already had. Apparently a witch had found the second and sealed it away, but he'd only two possible locations for the infernal objects and less time than that to find them both.

He would have a total of one month travelling if he kept to this schedule and even less if he didn't. Time was already limited so much that it was starting to worry him immensely if he could get it all done in time. Sure enough he'd planned for this for over a hundred years but doing it now was different, and he wished he'd had more time to find the two objects.

One he already knew where it was. In Paris, in the mansion, and that was the first place he would go. For that he only needed to fly over the North Sea to the Bay of Biscay, across the United Kingdom. But from there it was either to Australia or to Russia, which were practically on the other side of the globe from each other, or at least in his frustration it felt like they were.

"God willing it would be in the biggest country on this damn planet," he growled, his dark eyes smouldering. "I have contacts all over the world but none of them have seen anything... If it was in China it would be understandable, since it's the most heavily populated and anything out of order _might_ be harder to spot. But Russia... There's so much land there it's impossible to search it all in under five days."

Exasperated, he practically threw the chair away from him and headed out of the library for a break. Hell, he needed more than a break. He needed a bottle of whiskey to help calm his frayed nerves, but getting drunk would just make the problem worse. That and the last time Elijah had got drunk, he'd sworn he'd done something remotely weird, but he couldn't remember. It took a lot to get a vampire drunk – enough to overload the healing factor, which for him would probably take ten bottles of none stop drinking just to get tipsy.

When he reached the living room, Philip was munching on some sweets he'd got a few days before. He pulled out a large jawbreaker from a packet and crammed the whole thing in his mouth, lengthened his fangs, then crushed it like it were a ball of sand. Flakes and shards of the once mighty sweet crumbled onto the floor, which was already littered with sweet wrappers and lollipop sticks.

The crunching noise grated on Elijah's fragile nerves and he sighed, shaking his head. "Where is everyone?" He asked.

Philip continued eating for a few seconds more, then swallowed. A massive lump seemed to travel down his throat – it was a wonder the boy didn't choke. "Duncan's taken them out onto the sand to play some Frisbee," he explained curiously. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Stop that, would you?" Elijah asked. Philip swallowed the taste of the jawbreaker and stopped, staring up at the original calmly. "Everything's fine."

With a disbelieving snort, Philip sauntered over to him, being careful not to step on the sweets. "Yeah, and my name is Crackhead. What's wrong, Eli?" Looking up at the ruffled man, whose hair was barely tidy for the many times he'd run a calloused hand through his hair, he hopped up onto the sofa armrest and swung his legs. "Having trouble with your research?"

Elijah gazed at him steadily, not speaking, though the vampire child had already sussed out what had happened. Philip reached out and tugged on his arm – a motion that would have had anyone else sent crashing into the couch – and pulled him onto the sofa. "Tell me."

Elijah sighed and began reeling off the problems. Even though his heart was telling him that Philip was just a child and wouldn't understand, his head was reminding him that the boy was over a hundred years old and was old enough to understand the issue at hand. He didn't state what the objects were, but explained that it was urgent that he find it and bring it back.

"But I don't know where it is or where to start searching," he confessed. "It could be in either Australia or Russia and there is no time to search both places."

"What about a locator spell?" Philip suggested. "You can at least get the general area, if not the item itself."

Elijah had thought of that, but it involved doing something that he really wasn't ready for. Something that would have supernatural beings everywhere gossiping and coming down at him like a tidal wave on a surfer. "I don't know," he breathed. "The only one who can find it is me since I owned the bloody thing."

"Can't vampires resurface memories?" The raven-haired child tilted his head. "I can try it on you. I don't know if it would work considering you're much older than I am – er, no offense."

"None taken," Elijah muttered, blinking and gazing down at his hands. He needed a rest – a distraction. Perhaps if he calmed his mind and did something to relax himself, the answers would come to him rather than him come to them. Then he decided what to do. "Are the waves good today?" He asked.

Philip grinned. "Oh yeah. As good as they're gonna get."

Elijah couldn't help but smirk at the child's reaction. Secretly he hadn't been in the water in ages – several years – but the temptation was too good to miss. Perhaps a swim would help to calm him down.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Duncan Bennett hurled the Frisbee towards Bonnie. The circular blue object crackled with tendrils of electricity that gave her a playful snap when her fingers touched the plastic. It caused her to jerk and squeak with surprise. The Frisbee bounced away harmlessly.

"Woohoo!" Cried Duncan, bouncing up and down on the golden sand. His black T-shirt and tan shorts flapped and whipped about in the wind. "One point to me!"

Bonnie stared at him. She wore a violet bathing suit with straps and a small hole in the back. "I didn't know you could do that," she said. "Or that it was allowed in the game."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "I'm over seventy years old," the boy, who looked about seven, replied. "I can do a lot of things. And anyway, I never said we couldn't do it."

Bonnie levitated the disc to her. "But what if someone sees?"

"This part of the beach is private," he reminded her. "Nobody comes down here except for the lifeguards. They like to come down here a bit of fun every now and again. They're pretty cool!"

Bonnie put a weak spell on the Frisbee and threw it back. Duncan had to leap to catch it, it was flying so high and fast. As soon as his hands connected with it, he yelped and crashed into the sand. His dark, braided hair was spiked from static and frizzy.

"My hair!" He complained. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to braid?"

Bonnie snorted. "Can't you fix it with magic?"

Duncan's eyes were filled with annoyance, but they quickly switched to mischief. Summoning a spiral of air from around his hand, he swung his hand towards the witch and caused a fierce gale to sweep her off of her feet.

Bonnie landed on her back with a huff on the soft, luxurious, golden cushion of sand. When she sat up and rubbed her temple, her hair was equally as messed up.

Her eyes burned. "Hey!"

Duncan rolled about on the sand with laughter, then jumped to his feet and ran towards the sea. Bonnie, with longer legs and leaner muscles, chased after him and caught him at the base of the water.

She wrestled with her kin for a moment until the hum of an engine caught her ears, and she looked up to see a man on a jet ski moving towards them in a smooth arc. He was dressed in a blue shirt with white shorts and the word 'Lifeguard' sown over his back and front. There also appeared to be a logo or a rank emblazoned onto his shoulders.

But Bonnie felt her heart rate escalate. He was tan with eyes like chips of ice, with spiked hair that made him look like Joe Cheng, but with grey, fluffy hair. His face was heart shaped and he looked young – at least twenty five.

The ski quietened as he got close to the shore and he simply rocked in the waves, back and forth.

"G'day," he smiled, waving, with a thick, gorgeous Australian accent. "Just thought I should tell you to be careful, mates. There's a rip here, not somethin' you want to get caught up in. Mind moving a bit up in the water?"

Bonnie was enchanted by his voice. Even so, she did as he said, but couldn't help asking, "What's a rip?"

"A rip?" Repeated the lifeguard, following the two with a short burst from his jet ski. "Well, it's called a rip current. You see where the water's coming in from the sea? Well there's a lot of force from the water tryin' to go back out again. Those two are colliding at a certain point and pushing each other down underwater. If you get dragged out far enough it'll pull you under too."

A rip current? Bonnie shuddered. If it could drown someone, was it called rip because of the latin term "requiescat in pace"?

She gulped. "Well I wasn't planning on going far out," she replied.

"Can you swim?"

Bonnie bit her lip. "No."

"Then you shouldn't be in the water," he pointed out. "Learn to swim first, mate. Stick to the pools, else things could get a bit hazy."

"Hey Wes," Duncan grinned, and clambered up onto the jet ski before anything could be said. "Can I drive?"

"Look at you, little midget," Wes chuckled. "'Course. But don't capsize my ride, 'kay? I need it. They're expecting me back in about five minutes."

Wes dismounted and let Duncan take over the reins. The jet ski only seated one but it had a foam board swinging around on the back with many holes for swimmers to hold on to should they need assistance. Now that Bonnie could see the fast black jet ski in action, she was in awe at the sheer power and speed it could kick up.

Wes stood with her in the water for a few minutes until Duncan returned with the sleek tank. It had a rounded point at the front that allowed for less speed resistance and had a curved body with a blue line running down the sides. "That was awesome!" Said the boy.

"I'll say," Wes grinned. "And I think you'd make a pretty good lifeguard someday, squirt. You've already mastered the art of jet skiing, even without a license." Then the Australian lifeguard mounted the ski.

Bonnie caught a glimpse of lettering across the side of the ski. "Batmobile?" She laughed.

Wes grinned widely. "Yep. That's what she's called. They all have names but the Batmobile is by far the best. Gives us something to joke about when we're bored."

"Wes is riding the batmobile!" Duncan exclaimed, pointing straight at the lifeguard. Wes laughed so hard he had to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Never gets old," he said. "Well I'd better be off. I'm on duty and I- Oh hey, is that a swimmer?"

The Australian gazed out across the surf and saw a man with a flattened mane of auburn hair ploughing strongly against the current. Instinct was telling Wes that he was too far out and needed to come back to shore, but he was sure he could recognise that strong build.

"Oh hey! Is that Elijah?"

"Yep!" Squeaked Duncan. "Let's go meet him!"

The warlock – and Bonnie, who was dragged along for the ride – grabbed a hold of the floating foam board attached to the back of the jet ski and held on as Wes revved the engine and shot off towards the original vampire.

It only took them about ten seconds to reach him, and then they realised he wasn't swimming alone. There was a shadow lurking in the surf, long and thin and dark, with a dark grey fin that briefly peeked out from the water before vanishing again.

"Looks like a shark," Wes murmured to himself, circling around as if to shoo the beast away from the swimmer. "Elijah! Might want to get out of the water, mate."

Elijah stopped swimming and floated in the water. It was far too deep for him to kick off from the surface, but then again he was a strong swimmer and couldn't drown, since he was already dead and didn't need to breathe. "Wes!"

"Looks like a shark there," Wes warned. "Want to grab onto the board?"

"It's alright," Elijah smiled. "It's no shark."

Just then the shadow vanished beneath the jet ski. A wet nose touched against Bonnie's feet, causing her to scramble atop the jet ski in surprise. Then the shadow swung underneath Elijah and lifted him clear of the water. A quick stream of water blew up from a hole in the beautiful creature's nose and splashed them all like rain.

It was a large, dark grey, sleek-bodied bottlenose Dolphin, and it grinned at Bonnie as if it were laughing.

"A dolphin!" Wes exclaimed, leaning forward to get a better look. "Wow, I've never seen one up this close before."

Elijah was straddling the beautiful, passive creature, which tossed its head back and let out a happy melody of clicks, whistles and squeaks. The Dolphin swam around, still with the fully grown man on his back, and shot another jet of water straight at Duncan from his blowhole.

"No fair!" Duncan complained, splashing seawater at the playful aquatic creature.

The dolphin was 4.5 feet in length with a jet-streamed body and a white underbelly. His snout was short and well defined and he slapped his tail against the water.

"Hey, this fella's big! Is this the one that comes down to the other side of the beach from time to time?"

"Yes," Elijah said, patting the adult Bottlenose's back.

Wes looked flabbergasted. "Man, I've heard stories about this one..."

"Stories?" Asked Bonnie, curious. "What kind of stories?"

A dark cloud appeared on the horizon. Wes gazed at it thoughtfully for a moment. It was a thunderhead. "I'll have to tell you some other time. Failing that, Elijah can tell you, I think, since everything awesome or strange happens right at this section of the beach. I've got to head back to the tower and warn them about the storm."

"Can you take us back to shore?" Asked Duncan.

Wes smiled. "'Course, squirt. Elijah, want a lift?"

The original shook his head, clicked the tongue against the roof of his mouth and shot away from the group. The dolphin let out a series of playful whistles as it carried him back towards the shore, then practically dumped him back in the water and swam off again. It also sensed the storm coming and didn't want to get caught up.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Later on that day, as the sun was going down, Elijah found himself dozing in the chair in the library. It was hard and made his back stiff, and he still hadn't found out anything conclusive about the location of the object he was searching for. All he knew was that it could be in Moscow – but based on a rumour, not fact. It was looking more and more like he would have to just make a guess about whether to go to Russia or Australia, but placing the outcome of a hundred years of planning on a 50-50 gamble?

The words now bored him, after three days of endless work. He'd taken breaks to feed, shower, and he'd gone for a walk on more than one occasion, but it still dragged on and on. Time seemed to have slowed down for him and for everyone else as well, because he could practically hear each and every torturous _click_ of the clocks hands as they passed, hour by hour, second by second.

At first he'd been numb to it. Now it was like a reminder of just how much time had elapsed, how long he had left, and how long he still had to listen to it. "A watched pot never boils," the saying went. Apparently neither did the clock. It just dragged on and on... Several times he'd had the overwhelming desire to rip the god damn clock off the wall and pulverise it. The silence had become unbearable and so he'd rested his head on his hand for a brief moment of respite, thinking about music and replaying song lyrics in his head, but now his sanctuary had become his lullaby, and before long his head was on his folded arms on the desk.

Having become concerned about his distanced demeanour and psychological welfare, Philip had silently approached the door. He peered inside into the dreary room, feeling the depressed aura blast him in the face like a gust from a heatwave. Elijah was slumped over the desk and it was completely silent. If he had been human, Philip would have listened to his breathing or to his heartbeat, but there was none from the original vampire. He didn't need to breathe after all.

Making a careful plan of entry, he put on a slight burst of vampire speed to appear at the original's side. He stood on a chair that had files and books almost spilling off of it and it toppled dangerously under his weight, but didn't fall. Philip tread carefully, then shifted a strand of dark hair from his face, frowning slightly.

Elijah was asleep. Fair enough. But he'd be sore when he woke if he didn't lie down somewhere more comfortable. The original's eyelids fluttered in his much deserved dreamscape, as if in the throws of a nightmare, and Philip briefly rested a hand on his forehead, manipulating his dreams to something that would hopefully keep him out of it for a while longer. Elijah wasn't heavy but he wasn't light either. Philip carefully heaved the taller man over and lay him out on one of the plush chairs, then raced out and tossed a blanket over his frame. There were dark, hazy circles under his eyes and, had they been open, the boy knew they would have been filled with apprehension and boredom.

So with Elijah down, the young vampire whisked himself away and rounded up his little brother, Duncan, and the two guests. Elijah would hate him for this, he knew, but it needed to be done.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"...Maybe if you look in this book. It has a list of old artefacts that it might be in. If you list them all down, we can check later." Duncan said, pushing his dreadlock charcoal hair behind his ears and levitating a dusty, obviously very old book over to Elena. The pages were tinged brown as if someone had painted it with coffee. The doppelgänger nodded and began glancing through it's contents, cautious not to damage the precious object.

Philip stood up on a stool and pulled another book off a shelf – this one older. "Look for things found in Australia or Russia," he said. "According to what Elijah wrote down, it could be in Moscow. But there's something in that other book that makes me think it might actually be in Australia."

"Where? I'll make a note of it," Bonnie said.

Philip pointed to a thick brown book with what looked like a copper lining around the face. It had a pattern in each of it's four corners, pointing to a small symbol in the middle, which had old Arrernte words written on it. "It says 'Emerald Isle'," he said, "Or at least that's the closest translation I can offer. It was translated into English recently but that one's still in its traditional language. Duncan should be able to translate it for you."

At mention of his name, Duncan broke away from where he was reading through Elijah's notes, and bounded over to his niece. It was strange for the two Bennett witches; one looked younger than the other, but was actually several times her age. Bonnie allowed the seven year old to clamber up onto her lap, where they started talking quietly.

Philip glanced once over towards Elijah and then started moving books around on the shelf, looking for one in particular that he'd read before several times. He was sure there was also something in there, but even after five minutes of looking on the shelf, he couldn't find it.

He bit his lip and stared at Elena, who was just finishing her list, and rushed over to her. "Have you seen a thin book with a green cover and a darker ribbon?" He asked. "It should also have a green spine with five gold raised bands on it... And a latch to keep it shut."

Together the two looked. After a minute of searching, Elena peered out from behind one of the book shelves. "Is this it?" She asked, holding up a book that matched his description perfectly. Philip nodded, taking the book, and murmured a thanks.

By this time Elijah was starting to stir, and it took few few moments to open his eyes. When he did, they were filled with surprise, and he looked himself over, curious as to how he'd gotten there. He sat up in a quick but smooth motion, glanced to Philip and opened his mouth to speak. Philip was on his lap in a heartbeat, finger against his mouth and fangs bared in a hiss to hush him. Elijah's mouth closed again and his head tilted slightly.

"You're coming with me," Philip growled, his eyes dark and bloodshot. "And don't you give me any nonsense about working, because those three can handle it for now. If I so much as see you glance at a piece of paper in the next three hours, I'm gonna kick you in the shins. And it'll be so hard you'll cry."

Elijah looked mildly amused and surprised at this, smiling slightly, head quirked. As he threw the blanket off of him and stood up, dusting off his black suit, Philip folded his arms expectantly. "Cry?" He repeated almost mockingly. Philip puffed up his chest and glared up at the vampire, though at his size it was very difficult to seem intimidating.

There was a dead silence in the library. Not even the clock ticked, and when Elijah looked over to where it was, it was no longer there. He was about to ask what had become of it when Philip spun around and smashed his foot into his leg, making him stagger and fall against the wall. He glared at the little vampire, who stuck his tongue out and then ran.

With a furious hiss, Elijah charged after the little blighter, his work forgotten.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The crow perched atop the creek, staring down absently into the small alcove, where a single rusty feather lay. Could a bird cry, the tears would be cascading down his cheeks like the waterfall. He couldn't help it. He let out a wail of grief – one that sent every bird and piece of prey flying for their nests.

His friend was gone. He'd been there to guard the poacher, Alaric, who lay broken on the ground, but after that, nothing. No chirrup, no call, no beating of wings overhead. Nothing. They were now on the third day and there had been no change. Klaus and Stefan were still stuck at Elena's flock gathering and were driving each other so far up the wall their muffled shouts could be heard for at least a mile all around to his ears.

He had no one to talk to. He was alone again, and, dare he say it, frightened. Things were going horribly wrong. Alaric was in a state of living death, trapped within the tendrils of a coma that would not release him. Elena and Bonnie were gone and the nest was empty without Stefan. Every day since, the crow had flown back and forth, waiting, watching, hoping. But nothing happened. There was no life here. There was no sound or movement.

His friend would know what to do, surely? Right? He would, wouldn't he? His friend seemed to know everything. He was all knowing, strong, calm, brave and fearless. He was loyal, determined, focused, patient, analytical and level headed. He was able, accommodating, adaptable and the source of Damon's envy. Sure he might have been frank and bossy at times but he knew what he was doing, as if he had the whole world upon his shoulders.

And still, _nothing_.

Nothing. You're alone. Everyone hates you. You're to blame. You must have done something wrong. You didn't trust them enough. Didn't trust _him. _Useless. Stupid. Liar.

The crow wailed again, shaking his head. Was it all his fault? It must have been. He must have chased Elena away – she hadn't been kidnapped. It was his fault. He'd caused all of this. Stefan getting trapped... It had been his idea. Alaric getting hurt. He should have been there. His friend's departure... He should have followed. Should have asked him what he could have done.

The rain seemed to reflect his distress. At first the crow didn't dare move; he just let the rain soak him, chill him, punish him. Then he crawled into the alcove that once accommodated his friend and lay there. He lay there, staring distraughtly at the wall, wondering what he had done wrong. This time there was nobody to forgive him, to encourage him, and though he seemed strong and able to manage himself, he couldn't. He really couldn't. He craved approval. He needed love like a night needed a moon or an animal needed food, or a human needed to breathe. Every move he made he doubted himself. Every step forward he took, he glanced back. Every heart he caught, he thought and thought, over and over, just thinking of the hundreds of ways in which he could screw it all up. He tried. He avoided them, but there was always that one thing he missed, that made him irredeemable. When he pleased one, he pissed off a ten more. When he fixed one, he broke fifty.

There was a burden on his shoulders the size of hell, dragging him down, and he hated it. Sometimes he wished...

He could just have someone to care.


	9. The Legend of Atlantis

Something had been tugging at his wing for a while now. At first he'd ignored it, thinking that his grief-induced shaking was making him rub against the rocks. Now he was sure something was pulling at him, seeing if he was edible or not. At the moment he really didn't care. He just wanted to die.

The crow had fallen asleep in the alcove of his friend, who had no name, but just was. It smelled like him, wrapping him up in a thick blanket, even though the rain outside was torrential and the thunder crashed over the earth like a gargantuan steamroller. A fork of lightning split the skies and he stared absently out of the mouth of the alcove, wondering how long it would take him to drown if it flooded. Granted the little nest was a few feet off of the ground, but still. Then he remembered that he didn't need to breathe, and he felt even worse.

He closed his eyes again and wished it all away.

But still the scratching did not stop. It moved, starting from the base of one outstretched wing and moving out towards the wing tips, which were still soaked from and freezing. He tried to pull it back in – to let the thing, whatever it was, know that he was still alive and needed to be killed first – but something large held his wing down. A foot. A cat?

But it was boned with individual toes. Another bird, he thought with a grimace. Eaten by a cannibal. Great. Just how he always wanted to go out.

Again it went on. It didn't stop, but moved down until it reached back up to the bone and started again. Then the sharp mouth was on his head, parting his shield of black, pushing the water out of his charcoal feathers. After a moment he wondered if the thing was even going to eat him, because it was taking a bloody long time!

Withering both on the inside and out, the crow finally had enough and angrily yanked his wing away from whatever was holding it down. There was a pause, then he felt his wing being pulled out again, and whatever self restraint he had left snapped, leaving him boiling with rage.

"What the hell are you doing!" He screeched, and then froze.

Staring down at him with a partly annoyed expression was the raptor. His eyes were glistening with disapproval and his talon only seemed to tighten. "You're soaking wet! What, did you sleep in the lake before you came in here?"

"You..." The crow whispered, wide-eyed.

The Wedge-Tailed Eagle glowered at him. "And your primaries are out of alignment! Don't you care to preen any more?" He demanded. "Look at your wings! It looks like a rat's slept in it! You can't fly like this. You're such a mess that even the lightning would try to shoot you down! Neaten – yourself – up."

The crow looked at himself, realising just how scruffy and unkempt he looked. The words hurt him, but the joy and hope in seeing the giant raptor once more dulled that to a level that he almost couldn't feel it. "You came back! I thought you'd left!"

"Of course I came back," huffed the raptor gruffly. "As if I'd leave you to your own devices. And look what happened. I leave for five heartbeats and you look like a starved four-leg with ears as miserable and droopy as their eyes."

He'd never admit to it later. Hell, he'd deny it even under compulsion. He didn't care. His friend had come back, and even though his words rivalled the sharpness with his beak, the crow threw himself at the raptor and extended one of his soggy wings, pulling him against the cool brown plumage on the great bird's wings. His head was bent beneath the eagle's beak, pressed against his throat. The closeness of them both soothed him immensely, and even though he felt the raptor stiffen, he held on.

"I thought you'd left," he whimpered. "Everyone's leaving. My nest-mate, my flock... The poacher..."

The raptor stared down at the crumbling jet crow and tightened his beak slightly. He forced himself to relax, then settled on the ground and rested one of his massive wings over the smaller crow, who was starting to make his chest wet. After a moment he moved away, feeling a conflicting wave of emotions, and sighed.

"I saw what happened to the poacher," he admitted. "And after the past few sunrises, I assume so do you."

The crow sniffed. "She tried to turn him," he nodded. "Tried to turn him into a Night-walker, but she failed. Something happened to prevent it... But he won't wake up. He will not rise with the sun like other flocks. Not even herbs and berries will change him..."

"I know," said the raptor, sifting his feathers against his body and moving back to run his beak through the large dark bird's feathers once more. "As I chirruped, I saw what happened. I prevented it. His body needs time to recover from the injuries it sustained. His mind needs time to heal."

"Wait..." The crow gazed at him in recognition. "You saw what happened! The one with the golden crest on her head... She used a spell, didn't she? He should have turned but he didn't. His heart still beats, but it shouldn't."

"Because of me," the raptor nodded. "Once the crested one had departed, I had three members of my flock aid him. Then you came in your no-wing form with the chick of the tainted one."

"With Rebekah," the crow breathed, nodding in comprehension. "Yes, the chick of the tainted one was there with me. But why did you fly away? Why didn't you stay? I thought you'd gone."

"As they helped me, I had to help them. It was only fair."

The crow, though still curious, was satisfied by that answer. They settled in companionable silence, preening his wing feathers to neaten up his scruffy appearance. Soon enough he was looking healthy again; the oil evenly distributed through his feathers and eyes gleaming like beady gemstones beneath moonlight.

"And I also am in need of your help, fledgeling. It is why I have flown back. There is something that must be done which I cannot do alone. Our flocks must join together to chase away the evil that looms over us all."

"Evil?" The crow whispered, staring. "What sort of evil?"

Glancing out into the storm, the Wedge-Tailed Eagle narrowed his eyes. "A third flock. You know him already as the Great Trespasser – the one who tries to steal your... Mate."

The crow huffed. "Well he didn't. I saw them. They're equally as dumbfounded. Nobody knows where she is."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, fledgeling," he chirped, a cordial smile growing on his bright features, "Nothing can ever truly vanish from the earth. There's always some trace. You just need to find it."

The crow's night eyes were flooding with newfound determination. Then, with a graceful parting bow, the raptor took a few loping steps and thrust himself out of the alcove mouth. The crow squawked in surprise as the wind stole away the large bird faster than he could blink.

He would spend the night there, waiting for the storm to ride out, before flying back home in the morning.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena settled down on the sofa and watched the moon rise. Elijah had gone for a midnight stroll, Bonnie was in the shower and Duncan was asleep, sprawled out on her lap. Only Philip remained awake, sitting on the sofa in the lotus position, gnawing on another jawbreaker yet again.

She'd asked him why he did that, and Philip simply said, "To test my jaws."

"But you're a vampire," she said, as if he'd forgotten completely. "Isn't it obvious that you can crush it in your mouth?"

Philip stared at her strangely for a moment, watching her with nine year old emerald eyes, then said, "That sounded weird. Anyway, I know I'm a vampire. But I love these things. They crunch and they often have bubblegum inside!"

Elena found herself blushing, and then taken aback by his comment. She kept forgetting that he was over one hundred years old and not the nine year old that he appeared to be. There was a brief lapse of silence and then she asked, "So how did you and Elijah meet?"

Philip looked vaguely uncomfortable at that question, but Elena still wanted to know. She didn't press him but didn't retract her question, allowing him to answer in his own time, if at all. Finally he spoke. "I don't like talking about it. When Elijah comes back, you can ask him."

"Ask me what?" Asked a voice from behind. Elena jumped, startled, as the original in question strode into the room.

With Duncan still snoring on her lap, Elena quietened her voice slightly and rested a hand on his shoulder. The seven year old stirred and nuzzled into the soft pillow on the doppelgänger's lap. "I was, er, just asking how you guys met."

Elijah stole a glance from Philip, who swiftly averted his eyes. Feeling the anxiety mount, she quickly drew a breath. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I didn't mean to offend anyone."

From the ruffled look in the young vampire's eyes, she knew he was lying when he said, "You didn't." She didn't raise any more questions, feeling Elijah's gaze rest momentarily on her before it travelled away.

Great. She'd managed to hurt Philip's feelings. They were getting along so well, too! Bonnie and Duncan's relationship had kicked off immediately, but Bonnie always had been good with kids. The only relatives that Elena had aside from Jeremy, who had a little girl called Margaret, hadn't spoken to them in years, and she wasn't sure if that was because she'd upset them somehow or they'd lost touch somehow. She shot a reproachful look at Elijah, hoping that he'd see she was sorry, but he simply stepped around, pulled Philip off of the couch and sat down with him on his lap.

"Such a topic is... Not welcome. I'm sorry, I should have warned you." The original murmured, his eyes soft. Elena was amazed at how... Human... He seemed. With the kids he was good – they certainly respected and loved him. Philip seemed to have the strongest outspoken bond somehow, but she felt that there was a deep connection running between him and Duncan. As the boy started to drool onto the pillow, he reached out and scooped him up, pulling both boys against his chest gently.

As if sensing the shift in position, Duncan murmured something inarticulate that sounded more like a squeak, then clung to the front of Elijah's shirt. For once he wasn't wearing his suit or anything casual; a simple black T-shirt which showed off taut muscles and a strong neck, broad shoulders... Her dark gaze carried on to examine the rest of his clothing. He also wore a pair of dark blue trousers, though she suspected they might be jeans, but under the relaxed – and in Duncan's case, sprawled out – limbs, she couldn't see properly.

He did wear thick boots though, as if they were the only thing he felt comfortable in wearing on his feet. Catching her gaze on his body, the original chuckled. "Surprised I'm not wearing the usual suit? It's to be expected I guess. But I don't wear a suit all of the time, especially not when sleeping."

Caught red-handed, or red-cheeked, Elena felt heat rise in her body. "Oh- Oh no, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," Elijah shrugged. "I've been meaning to ask. How are you finding it here? Is Ireland as you expected?"

She noticed how he didn't say 'good' or 'bad', which left her room to make her own decisions. Meeting his steady gaze, she smiled and pulled her legs closer to her body so that no part of her touched the floor. "It's wonderful here. The food, the atmosphere... It's new, and I'd say it's refreshing as well. It's been so peaceful without having to worry about Klaus or anything else... I'm surprised."

Elijah smirked slightly – something that she also realised had been happening more often. She'd only seen him angry once, which was when he'd been so stressed out from researching with no results that he'd shaken with anger on the front porch, trying to calm himself by watching the ocean. It was a charming, warm smile, not a forced one like she'd seen before. This one was genuine and conveyed so much more emotion that it was hard to believe this was the same man that had come to her on that fateful night and made the deal to protect her family.

Tucking his arm around Duncan's back, he quirked his head habitually. "Well, if you want, there are other things I can show you. I have to say that you're picking up the accent extremely quickly... In just four days here."

Elena flushed again. "You're speaking differently as well," she pointed out. "It's as though you've lived here for several years."

"Well that's because I have," Elijah pointed out. "I find this place very beautiful and interesting... Dublin is one of my favourite places on earth to go."

"Where else do you like to go?" Asked Elena curiously. She pulled the pillow against her stomach slightly and blinked. It was interesting being able to talk to him like this, to find out what made him more like them – human.

For a while they talked about various things; how he'd learned everything he knows, how he'd come to enjoy life after so long living it, which he responded to with "I haven't really lived yet. It's just been me chasing after a girl because my brother got upset". They talked about career choices – what Elena planned on doing once she'd left school, then what occupations Elijah had been in. It came to a debate about global warming at one point which, somehow, she found interesting.

"Humans worry too much," he said. "According to scientists, the planet has been here for four billion years. Humans have been for... One hundred thousand? Maybe a little less than that, I'd think, judging on how stupid some people still are." Elena laughed. Elijah smiled. "What is it that they say causes global warming...? Bin liners?"

"Plastic bags, littering... Stuff like that," Elena said.

Elijah shook his head condescendingly. "The planet has strived through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plate tectonics, continental drifts... The magnetic reversal of the poles as well. What else? Ahhh... Solar flares, sun spots... Meteor showers, two world wars and several still raging on right now, as a matter of fact. And magnetic storms, of course. There was one of those on the fourth of November a few years ago. Caught me while I was travelling... Nasty thing that was." Shaking his head slightly, Elijah pursed his lips.

"Very nasty," Philip commented. "I hated that one."

"Hmm. Anyway, I don't think that a few plastic bags will cause... Whatever it is you call it nowadays. The Apocalypse? Rapture? Armageddon?"

Elena couldn't help but giggle. "And there was that thing about rapture recently," she said. When Elijah looked at her in confusion, she continued humorously, "Some elderly man on the television said that the end of the world was coming on the twenty first of December or something like that, at a specific time. People started selling their homes, giving their dogs away, giving their life savings to charity..." She went on to explain what was "supposed to happen".

Elijah chuckled for a good minute just picturing the poor souls tossing around their life's possessions. Elena's eyes gleamed with amusement. Generous and dedicated it may be, but if everyone was going to either "float up to heaven" or get bombarded by the end of the world, why would they give their stuff away?

"I take it back," Elijah purred. "Humans have been around for fifty thousand at least."

Elena grinned slyly. Philip snort-giggled, then ran off to get another jawbreaker from the closet. But rather than eat it himself, he punched it into the palm of his other hand and split it into three parts, offering a piece to them both. Elijah declined his politely but Elena took a part and nibbled on it as though it were a lollipop.

When Bonnie got out of the shower the conversation had switched from Global Warming to aliens and then tiny animals. Elena had started it and she listened with rapt attention to Elijah as he spoke.

"I've had several pets in my lifetime. Horses, dogs, cats, even a falcon that for some reason liked to sit on my shoulder and peck at my head. I couldn't take him with me when I had to start moving again so I let him fly free after he learned how to hunt properly."

"But you don't have one now?" Elena asked.

Elijah shook his head. "I'd rather not have animals living with me at the moment. There are too many things that could endanger it and I wouldn't like to be responsible for any injuries brought on as a result of my actions."

There were understanding nods from all around.

"But if you feel that way," Bonnie asked, "Why do you continue to get pets?"

It didn't take Elijah any moments to respond to that, Elena noted.

"It teaches responsibility, time management and discipline... They're loyal, and if you treat them with respect and be a good leader for them, they're the best friends you can ask for. They'll love you unconditionally and you can always look to them if you need support or someone to vent to. They'll listen. That and because it gives you something to care for. Something to love, and in life, well... Loving someone is the whole point, I've learned. Life without friendships or allegiances is very boring and meaningless. There's nothing to fight for, nothing to gain."

"Is that why you protected Klaus that time?" Asked Bonnie, watching his hand trace circles on Duncan's back as if it were instinct. He didn't seem consciously aware that he was doing it. There was a pause. It was longer than they'd have thought necessary.

Elijah stared out at the ocean for a brief while. He had the answer, but he just couldn't say it. "Why don't I tell you about the Legend of Atlantis?" He proposed instead. "Wes mentioned it earlier but you never did find out."

At the bobbing heads of the two women, he angled himself slightly and leaned partially on the soft armrest, allowing the two boys to lie on him rather than sit. When they were comfortable, he nodded to a wall that had posters and newspaper excerpts pinned to it.

"Atlantis, you might think, is the underwater city. But there's also the Atlantis of Dublin. Atlantis is a bottlenose dolphin that lives here in the waters at the base of the cliff. He actually has his own cave that he sleeps in sometimes, which has a pocket of air to let him breathe and small holes that let air and light shine in. Only a few people know where it is, and those people have either got sucked in as a result of the rip that guards it or have been taken there by Atlantis because they got lost or hurt in the surf."

"Is this the dolphin that you were with earlier?" Asked Elena.

Elijah nodded. "He and I... I know him very well, and have trained him to do many things. In fact from time to time I visit him in his lair or take him some fish to snack on. If you've stopped to read the newspaper clippings, or have looked up Dublin on the internet in the library and watched some of the videos, you'll know the story already."

"So what is Atlantis famous for?" Bonnie tilted her head and picked up a cup of hot chocolate from the table. "He looked big for a dolphin and even Wes seemed to know him."

"Yes," Elijah smiled. "You see, Atlantis is said to be the 'King of Dublin's Ocean'. It's common for him to go out up to the populated areas of the beach where the lifeguard tower is to swim and play with the tourists and locals. When surfers fall off their boards, he'll find it and give it back. He is also the mascot of the tower as well in that he helps them in rescues almost every day, either chasing people away from the rips, letting poor swimmers hold onto his back while he pulls them into the shore or carries what they call the "crit-hits" to the beach so that the guards can try and resuscitate them. The "Crit-hit" patient is one who has either already drowned or taken water into their lungs, has been hit by another surfer's board or has been somehow injured very badly."

"Atlantis is pretty much the underwater shark alarm. You know how dolphins have echo-location, or sonar? Well he can sense them coming and he'll warn the guards by herding people away from it, beaching himself or finding a lifeguard and talking to them." Yawned Philip, though recalling the dolphin made him smile with fondness. "He's also really smart. He does a lot of dangerous rescues nearer to the cliffs where the jet skis can't go, and it's said that there are lots of underwater tunnels underneath the cliffs that he's memorised."

"Wow, he sounds amazing," Bonnie said, looking towards Elena. "Will we meet him again?"

"He knows who has a good heart and who doesn't," said Elijah. "But yes. You might find him if you head down towards the public section of the beach in the morning. I can take you down there tomorrow, and I can ask the lifeguards to give you a briefing on water safety."

"That sounds awesome," Elena clapped her hands. She was about to say something else when she yawned, and covered her mouth with her hand sharply.

"Let's all go to bed," Elijah suggested. "It's late and we'll have an early start tomorrow."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"I was right," whispered the silhouette, staring at his brother, who was cloaked in shadows. "I got a closer look at her. She's under several layers of compulsion."

"You're sure?" Asked the other quietly. At the solemn nod, he asked, "Do you know what compulsion she's under?"

The figure shook his head. "I don't. I can only see several glazes in her eyes. I don't know what she's being compelled for, but I just know that it's to forget something. Or some_ things... _What do you think? Should we break the trance?"

"Yes. But not now. We should tell her, because it might be something that she doesn't want to remember. Ask the witch first and find out if she knows anything."

"Good idea. But I'm afraid my partner is getting a little bit impatient with me. Could you handle it from here? I'll be here when the time comes."

"Of course. Go see your lover. You've done more than enough. And brother... When this is all over..."

"We will be reunited. This time I want to see my younger siblings and hold them, not watch them from afar..."

"Don't cry, brother."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just... Watching everyone go on with their lives, and not being able to do anything about it..."

"I promise you, brother," said the figure, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him into a protective embrace. "When all of this is over, you will have a home here with me, and with them. And this time it will be in peace, and we will all be able to sit around the table."

"...Thanks, brother. For everything."


	10. Complex Partial

It just wasn't the same now, Kol thought, stricken with the drum version of writers block as he sat in front of the drums and just stared at the sticks. His tutor had deemed him beyond teaching now. He'd already surpassed his mentor, and while Kol hated learning anything, he knew that without his teacher dropping by to teach him anything else, it fucking sucked.

Since Elijah left, Mister Hansen had been the only one who'd had time to play the drumset with him. Kol had gone down to his studio for the lessons – he didn't want anyone touching Elijah's drumset while he was gone – and now he was just rocking solo.

And there was nobody to show off to.

Reaching for his phone, Kol dialled in Hansen's number and waited for him to pick up, but it seemed he was busy. Glancing at the quiet digital clock, Kol realised that it was midday and he would be eating, then teaching one of his other 'apprentices'.

The phone sucked, Kol decided, and he lobbed it at the wall, watching it shatter and crumble in a pile of plastic on the floor.

He was bored.

It was time to find someone else to play with.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Meredith Fell saw no change in Alaric's condition and that worried her. Damon had chatted with the special 'disease unit' as he'd called it. He'd given them more time by making 'delays' and keeping people off of the floor, but it wasn't helping much. If it went any longer, just to keep his mind occupied, she had a distinct feeling that the vampire would convince them that they did have a contaminant on the floor, and they'd quarantine the entire hospital. Not because of Alaric, but just because he was bored.

Meredith had overheard one of his phonecalls and she knew that Stefan had been stuck in the Mystic Falls high school for the past few days while everyone tried to find a witch to break down the forcefield. Until they could get them out, they would be going without any blood.

Damon had tried to give his brother some blood by throwing water bottles through the barrier. However the bottles had just bounced right off, and when he'd tried to send a few humans through, they'd not gone through even under compulsion. They'd stopped right in front and, like a punch being deflected, had glanced away and walked off.

Esther seemed to have put different incantations on the invisible wall to keep them separated from the humans. Her last curse bestowed upon her children, and the other vampires that had been caught in the trap, had been a damn good one.

Meredith sighed and rested her hand on Alaric's forehead. So far he'd shown no signs of turning into a vampire but she'd been concerned about the lasting effects of his body. Alaric had not roused from his coma or shown any signs of recovery.

"I want a cerebral scan done immediately. Check for problems with his brain, then do some scans on his heart and report back to me when you have the results." The doctor ordered, gathering her subordinates around her. As they wheeled the critical patient away, she sat down on the chair beside his bed and wept.

No change.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Four days without blood. Stefan and Klaus were snapping at each other whenever they got the chance. Caroline and Tyler had made themselves busy by changing into spare gym clothes locked in the closet and moving into the gym to jump about on the trampoline.

Caroline was busy doing flips and spins, folding her legs in and bouncing on her rear before stretching them back out again to grab a hold of the metal railings that held the walls stable. At least the CCTV cameras were turned off, otherwise they would really be bored.

It was undeniable that they were getting weaker without blood. There was a growing numbness and aching in their limbs that worsened over time. A faint dizziness that never went away, making them feel warm headed and queasy, but didn't make them faint or stumble. Caroline was scared that they might never get out of the trap – that they might be stuck, bouncing up and down, playing football or basketball or doing homework in the library until their bodies turned grey and their veins started to clench from exhaustion and starvation.

When she took a break from the trampoline to drink some water in the hopes that it would alleviate some of her symptoms, she couldn't help but realise that this was how some people were forced to live in other parts of the world. People who had no food, no money, no safe water to drink... They had to deal with Klaus, but was it really the same thing? Was it worse? Klaus was one day going to go away. Poverty was tricky to deal with. Countries weren't going to spend money on land that was infertile or people who might not even be of any benefit to the state or to themselves.

She stopped in the sophomore common room, hearing Tyler jumping up and down, flipping around, and the creak of the trampoline beneath his feeble weight. It had cream walls, a few circular tables with chairs around them and two sofas that were shaped like a rectangle with one short side missing. She lay down, curled up with one of the pillows and closed her eyes.

Was she selfish?

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Fourth day, and Elijah was just coming out of his library with an envelope in his hands and three pins. He'd located three possible locations in Australia for one of the objects, but still nothing in Moscow. Philip, Elena and Bonnie were working on Russia while he focused on Australia, and it seemed to be working so far. Now the single stray item was most likely going to be in Australia.

He had one already. The second he knew was in Paris.

The third was either in Sydney, Melbourne or Darwin. All three were fairly distanced apart from each other but it was manageable.

They were taking a break. It was nine in the morning and progress was going a lot faster now with more people working. He'd been forced to tell Philip what the items were, but he'd made him promise not to tell anyone else.

Elena was watching the television, watching a program that they'd come to find amusing, if not, at times, mildly disturbing. It was starring a comedian called Russell Howard and Duncan had immediately taken a shine towards it.

"Didn't he say that before?" Asked Duncan, confused.

Elena blinked at him. "No," she said.

A few minutes later, Duncan repeated the question. "I'm sure he said that a few minutes ago..."

"No," Elena reiterated, looking at the small seven year old, who squeaked slightly as he shifted in his seat and folded his legs over each other and then buried his hands beneath his feet.

A few minutes later he was fidgeting restlessly, picking at his clothes, and then with Elijah's as he sat down to join them. He pulled out the hem of his shirt from his shorts and picked at the button. "Duncan...?" He murmured questioningly, looking vaguely concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Mmm," Duncan hummed inarticulately. He shrugged his shoulders quite aggressively, swinging his arms around as if they were stiff, and then started to fiddle with his shoelace.

"Are you having an aura?" Elijah queried.

Duncan shivered, gulped and then grabbed onto his hand. "Mmm."

"Elena, fetch Philip." Elijah said calmly.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, pulling her knees up so she could remove her legs from underneath her body. She stood up just as Elijah did, picking Duncan up and heading towards his bedroom.

"Just fetch him, would you?"

She found the vampire showing Bonnie where the vervain grew at the front of the house, just in front of the forest. As soon as Philip heard that Elijah wanted him, the boy rushed into the house with the two in tow.

"I dunno," Elena shrugged. "Duncan just started acting strange and then he asked me to get Philip."

"Acting strange?" Philip turned, his expression that of worry. "Oh god." He clambered up onto the kitchen worktop and rummaged around in a cupboard. "Look in that draw over there. It should have a white tube in it. Can you get that for me?"

"What's going on?" Elena asked again.

Philip didn't look around from whatever he was doing. Only when he heard the doppelgänger pull open the draw and reach in for the 'white tube' did he respond. "Duncan's epileptic," he said calmly. "He has seizures every now and again."

"Oh god," Bonnie breathed. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He should be," Philip replied, snatching the tube from Elena's hand and tearing it open. Inside was a syringe. "It depends on what kind it is."

"What kinds are there?"

"Well there are two kinds he has, but he tends to have complex partial. You'll have to excuse me. I have to get this to him... And stay away from the lights, doors and cupboards!"

The vampire shot off in a burst of speed towards Duncan's room just as the young warlock started convulsing. The two didn't have any time to ponder what Philip had meant by 'stay away from the lights and cupboards'. Suddenly the lights started to explode above their heads and the cupboards and draws flung open. Plates, cups and knives erupted from their places, flying like razor blades and hack saws being fired from a slingshot.

Bonnie ducked just as a knife shot past her head, horrified, and crawled over the floor. Glass rained down like fire over their heads and she found herself wincing as she dragged herself over the sharp floor. She pulled Elena free and raced outside and onto the balcony where they'd be safe.

A few minutes later, everything grew quiet. They were both shaking from the shock of the outburst, and sat on one of the outdoor sofas until Elijah and Philip appeared, both looking calm, if not a bit perturbed.

"Is he...?"

"He's sleeping," Philip sighed, dusting off his clothes. "Sorry. You two look like you got caught by a few blades."

"I didn't... Know that, well..." Bonnie struggled to find the words. "Do all... Warlocks... And witches...?"

"Not all," Elijah murmured. "It depends on how strong the individual is, and what the seizure is. It was only a complex partial seizure. I would have come and chased you out of the house if it had been anything worse."

"What could be worse than that?" Elena cried out in surprise. "We almost got our heads sliced off!"

"The Grand Mal." Philip said flatly, his emerald eyes half-mast. "The last time he had one of those he nearly ripped one of the walls down and caused a very small earthquake just off the coast. But those are very rare for him. Happened once last year and hasn't happened since."

There was a brief silence. "You're hurt," murmured Elijah. "Both of you. You're covered in cuts. Let me heal you."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"_You looking for this?" Elijah leaned against the open doorway, his ears tracing how many heartbeats there were altogether. Five heartbeats, plus the voice of one whose heart had long since ceased its rhythm. That meant there were five werewolves in the room. He was amazed that they hadn't heard his arrival, but then again he had moved with the grace and silence of a windless, lifeless night._

_Jules, a blonde woman wearing a brown leather coat and jeans over a white, baggy top, turned to face him. She wielded a shotgun; the barrel of which fell out of one hand as she stared at him, surprised._

_Elijah stared at the gem for a moment, admiring how its milky, clouded appearance reflected mist in his palm. It truly was a magnificent item, the moonstone._

_He looked up, gazing up at the five, feigning innocence. Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he strode into the room, put the moonstone on an overturned book and stepped back. "Go ahead. Take it," he shrugged._

_The first one ran forward. Elijah caught him, his boredom evident in how easily and smoothly he tore the werewolf's heart from beneath his ribcage. The body fell against the couch._

_Then two, trying to double team him. He felt hands on each of his shoulders, trying to throw him back, but even with the sudden, forceful pressure, he didn't move. Instead, they sealed their own fates by sinking themselves into his awaiting arms. All that he needed to do was close his palms and pull._

_They collapsed onto the ground._

_Jules ran, abandoning the hunt. Only one remained – a coward, who he dealt with by a fast, painless snap of the neck._

_Nonplussed and dispassionate, Elijah reached down, grabbed the chains around Damon's wrists, squeezed them in his hands and shattered the chains beneath the chair. Then the ones around his abdomen; his finger snagging the hem of Damon's shirt, which he was careful not to damage as he broke the other chains as well._

_Damon stared at him smugly, as if he could have gotten out of the trap himself. Elijah knew, and even said mentally to himself, 'like hell you could'. It was that look that made him want to punch the arrogant child of a vampire in the face for, but that wasn't his style._

_Stepping back, he flicked his head to sweep the hair from his eyes and stared in mild amusement. He could at least get his five seconds of fame._

"_You realise that this is the _third time_ I've saved your life now?" Hinted Elijah._

_Damon stared, still smug. Except now there was a grateful, shock-and-awe respect flooding out of his eyes like a collapsing dam. His head seemed to nod ever so slightly, but Elijah figured it was because he was feeling hazy from the vervain and the wood buried deep within his neck._

_He could get that out himself, Elijah figured, and walked towards the door. He scooped up the moonstone as he left._

"_Wait!" Damon said urgently, his voice slightly cracking from both pain and shame._

_Elijah stopped. He slowly glanced over his shoulder, quirking his head as if to say, 'what?'_

_Damon sighed. "...I guess you probably don't care, but... Sorry. And thanks... I guess I owe you one."_

_Elijah held his icy gaze for a moment and then shrugged. "I guess you do," he said. "But for now, do yourself a favour. Clean yourself up. You're a mess."_

Elijah woke up with a jolt from his dream and rubbed his head in annoyance. _What the hell was the point of that? _He thought, swinging his feet off of the bed and heading to the bathroom. He checked his watch. It was midnight.

And now, thinking of the blood seeping across his skin and hiding beneath his finger nails, he felt filthy. Their blood was on his hands.

He needed a shower.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Meredith took a final few snapshots of the cave paintings before she had to leave. Damon had asked her to leave the hospital for him and, since she was a human, go into the caves underneath Mystic Falls and take pictures of the cave paintings. Damon had told her that they'd been neglecting their research with Alaric... Indisposed... But she knew there was another reason for it.

Ever since her lover, Alaric, had been diagnosed with a coma, she'd been slowly going off the rails. Sleepless nights. Playing with her food. Snapping at her colleagues and even at Damon, and crying frequently.

Being a doctor and surgeon was a difficult task, especially when it was your loved one who needed the treatment, not some stranger who you barely knew.

As she uploaded the files onto her computer and readied them to be emailed to Damon so that he could print them off while she had a look at Alaric's scans, she lost concentration. She sent emails so often that it was almost instinct now, knowing how far to move the mouse and which names to click.

But what she didn't account for, in her distraction, was the misclick that she had just as she sent it. Rather than send it to Damon's email, she sent it away to Elena's, and she growled at herself. Elena wouldn't have any use for it even if she were here.

It was probably a good thing that she wasn't, because she knew the young student would be struggling to cope.

"Have you sent them yet?" Damon asked from the library, wincing as the uncouth snarl of an expletive attacked his ear down the phone. "I'll take that as a no."

Meredith sent them off again – this time making sure she sent them to the right address – and stepped outside to hear the results.

She only prayed they weren't bad.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

When Elijah got out of the shower and dried his hands very carefully to make sure they were clean, he caught the sound of a heartbeat outside on the balcony. As he closed his eyes and focused on hearing, he heard the sound of sobbing.

_Elena, _he realised, because Bonnie had gone to sleep in Duncan's room to keep watch over her kin after his seizure. He could hear their heartbeats, slightly off key with each other, but both calm and resting.

Of course. Elena had received an email a few hours before, just after Bonnie had gone to get some rest. It had been from Meredith Fell, laden with pictures of ancient cave pictures and symbols telling stories of events and other things that had happened over one thousand years ago. Elijah, with his sharp sight, had seen a few words that meant the email had originally been sent to Damon, but had been sent to Elena by mistake. He'd heard her heart burst into life then but hadn't mentioned anything since it wasn't his business to pry.

But now he knew she was definitely distressed. She wouldn't want him down there with her – he could hear her trying to quieten her sobbing so as not to wake the vampires in the house. There was little chance of that, thought Elijah. Philip slept like he'd been beaten with a brick – heavily – and Elijah woke up at the slightest provocation. A sigh, the sound of cars in the very distant marketplace of Dublin, the wail of sirens or the sound of rocks loosening on the cliffside just outside the house. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up at least eleven or twelve times in the night just by the sound of someone's heartbeat in the other room jumping out of rhythm as their dreams influenced their adrenaline levels.

Elijah headed back to his room and approached the window sill, gazing out across the ocean. He'd talk to her about it in the morning and ask if she had any problems she'd like to talk about.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena wept into the tissue, dabbing at her eyes to rid herself of the tears. She felt so guilty. She'd forgotten all about Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Alaric and Meredith. Ever since she'd come here she'd been so focused on everything else to have even spared a thought. What was it now? The fifth day? It had just struck twelve, she realised, glancing at her watch. They must be so worried about me, she thought.

She couldn't help but think about how they must be feeling without her. She didn't hear the curious creature as it approached, nor did she hear the scratch of talons as it sidled up to her.

Only when its head rubbed against her shoulder did she look around, and back away with her startled cry strangled by the tissue she shoved in her mouth.

A massive bird. It was over half of her body size and looked magnificent as it watched her with calm, damp-sand brown eyes. She scrambled away from it, fearing that it might attack her, but the bird just remained there with his massive wings folded against his body and head low, as if to lower itself to her level.

There was a moment of silence. Elena pondered if she should go back into the house. Wild birds, especially things like this, were very powerful. But even as she thought, the bird just stayed, and then, as if sensing her unease, it cawed and hurled itself off the banister and plummeted down the side of the cliff, outstretching his wings wide to catch the drifts.

He left as quietly as he had appeared.


	11. Second Hybrid

"So Elijah sent you down here to learn the ropes of water safety, yeah?" Wes said on the fifth day, leading the two women into the lifeguard tower. As they entered, several lifeguards who were about to go on duty glanced towards them, some smiling, some nodding and some giving them a friendly 'hey' as they sat down in the control tower.

"Um, yes," replied Bonnie and Elena at the same time.

"Right. So don't feel embarrassed or nervous or anything, we're not gonna bite. Just relax." Wes pulled out two chairs from the desk and rolled them back, smiling. He beckoned for them to sit down while he sat on top of the desk, clad in his usual blue and white uniform.

Bonnie sat down and held onto the armrests. "So what will you be teaching us?"

"The usual. What to do if you start drowning, what to do if someone else starts drowning... Do you have any certificates in CPR?"

"No."

"I can give you a run through on that as well. You might want to ask Elijah to teach you properly. We might have practice dummies but we're not certified in teaching it."

"And Elijah is?" Elena asked.

Wes smiled. "He can do a lot of things, Miss Gilbert. He's lived here a while now. So are you both ready to get started?"

Elena opened her mouth to reply when she heard a voice from behind her. "Alright, boys, let's give it another hard day of work. Jay, take out a jet ski. L, have fun on the wheels." It was a woman with chocolate skin and dark brown eyes. Her eyebrows were rounded towards her nose, but thin and sharp at the edges of her eyes. She had long eyelashes and dark lips, a strong set jaw and a heart shaped face.

As Wes smiled slyly at her, she pivoted in her spinning chair and gazed at the two newcomers. "Ah! I thought I heard something about some visitors coming for some lessons. My name is December Grace and I'm the head guard here."

Wes grinned. "In other words, she pretty much owns the beach and everyone on it when they come around."

December rolled her eyes. "In any case, Wes, make sure you teach them properly."

"Can I... Ask you something?" Bonnie leaned forward in her chair. "How can you be the head lifeguard here? You look so young! You must at least be twenty five."

December, though annoyed she'd been taken from her watch duties, found herself smiling slightly. "Wes, you want to answer that?"

"She's very strong for her age," Wes shrugged. "She can outrun pretty much anyone you put in front of her and she swims better than any fish I know. There's only one that she can't."

"A fish she can't swim faster than?" Asked Elena. "I don't get it."

"Atlantis," said Wes. "She's tried to beat Atlantis in a race but she's never managed it. He's just so fast."

It took a moment for them to realise that he was talking about the dolphin and not the city. Bonnie and Elena cast an excited look towards each other, remembering that Atlantis would be visiting the beach soon. Maybe they'd get to meet him soon.

The 'lesson' went without any hitches. Wes was patient, answering questions when they were asked and he seemed fairly cool about it. About half way through December stopped him and warned him that he was to go on shift soon, so when he left she took over while someone relieved her of her watchtower duty.

"If you come back tomorrow," she said, "I'll bring out the dummies and you can have an actual go with the boys on doing some CPR. If not I'll send one down with Riki and Wes and you can pester Elijah until he shows you."

"Riki?" Asked Elena.

"Riki is our runner," she replied flatly, picking up the binoculars. "She's going on duty in about five minutes. Paul, introduce them to Riki!"

Riki, as it turns out, was a long-legged German Shepherd with a nick in her ear. She had bronze fur and patches of smoke across her flanks, which were lean but muscular. She was the 'alpha' and was the one that helped them to detect drugs, alcohol, and also carried things from one fixed point to another by just giving a verbal command and a hand gesture.

It turns out that the calm, relaxed dog, was also very intelligent. As soon as she was called on, Paul told her to go up south and help Wes with loading the boards back onto the humvee. She shot off and in the distance they could see her locate the spiky-haired lifeguard in the massive crowd of people almost instantly.

They walked around the beach for a while, watching the lifeguards go about their duties. They seemed to clock up countless rescues straight away, moving from one to the next as if they'd seen it all before.

A shadow fell over the group as they neared Wes, walking back towards the tower, and Elena realised that she was seeing the very same bird she'd seen at midnight the night before. It landed, curling its talons around the fence, and screeched at Riki and Wes as if in greeting.

The giant bird clicked his beak together, eyed Elena and Bonnie briefly and then flapped his wings. Wes chuckled, vanished into the tower for a heartbeat and then reappeared with a raw pike fish he'd bought from the market.

"Have at it," laughed the lifeguard, throwing one at the bird. It was devoured hungrily.

"You... Feed him?" Asked Elena incredulously.

"He comes here from time to time," Wes explained, running a hand over the bird's sleek feathers. "Like Atlantis. He catches people trapped in the surf and lets us know where they are by circling them and screeching. Sometimes he even pulls them out of the rip himself. Quite the strong one, he is."

The bird preened his feathers briefly and chirped at Riki. Riki barked back and nuzzled his wing, which he brushed against her shoulder gently before taking off again.

"Sometimes we see him and Atlantis together. They hunt sometimes, though when I've walked around the beach, I've seen them share prey. It's like they're good friends or something. He doesn't hurt anyone so we don't mind. And he's good publicity."

Wes clucked and tossed some sand up at the bird, who circled him and screeched. Elena looked curiously up at him. From what Wes had just said, it was as if he were telling them that he was some kind of threat. "I'm no danger, you bloody bird!" He shouted up. "Off with you! Go find Atlantis!"

The avian broke off with a screech that sounded similar to a laugh, then shot off. Wes bid them farewell and headed back towards the house, stepping over warm sand and talking about how strange Dublin seemed, although beautiful.

Soon enough the three saw a grey fin poking up from the surf. They also saw Elijah, shirtless with just a pair of royal blue tracksuits on, his hair wind-swept and a bucket in one hand. He reached in, pulled out a fish and hurled it far into the ocean.

Atlantis whistled in appreciation and chased after the free food, gobbling it up before crying out for more.

As they approached, Elijah pulled back one hand to throw another, but caught sight of them in the peripheral of his vision and lowered his arm. Atlantis clicked impatiently. "Hello," he greeted.

Elena smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "What are you giving him?"

Elijah glanced into the bucket. "Some trout," he replied, jerking his head sharply to swing a dark curl away from his eye. "Would you like to try?"

Elena and Bonnie both glanced at each other, then nodded. Elijah took a few steps forward and glanced out towards Atlantis. "Throw it nice and far," he said. "Make him swim for it. Otherwise he'll get fat."

Atlantis whistled rather loudly, as if to say, 'I heard that!'

Bonnie was the first to steel her nerves. She picked a trout out of the bucket by the back. It slipped out of her hand and landed on the ground, slapping her foot. It was slimy and she shuddered as Elijah picked it up. "Try it like this," he suggested, holding it by the tail. "Failing that, you can always throw it like a javelin."

Bonnie opted for the last option, because the second time she tried it, the trout again landed on her foot. She drew back her arm, took a run up and hurled it into the ocean. Atlantis brayed a thank you and dove towards it.

When Elena's turn came, she found it easier to hold it by the bottom and throw it like a pitcher would throw a baseball. She held it by the belly and lobbed it, watching it somersault several times before it slapped Atlantis in the face. She choked on her laughter and watched him munch on the trout. Elijah chuckled quietly to himself. It was a sound that she'd heard fairly often now, in Dublin, and it was somehow soothing and, dare she say it, cute.

"Look!" He suddenly said, pointing out towards the sea. Both women followed his gaze.

Atlantis was standing up in the water as if walking on two legs. His nose was pointed straight up at the sky and he was dancing around the water. It looked like he was running backwards!

Bonnie and Elena burst into a fit of giggles as Elijah reached into the bucket and threw the last trout at the bottlenose dolphin. He leapt up, caught it in his mouth and fell backwards into the water with a playful whistle.

"He'll probably head up to help the lifeguards now," Elijah told them as they headed back up the sand path towards the patio. "Duncan woke up a while ago and he's doing fine. I gave him something to eat and drink and he settled down to play, ah..." He bit his lip and squinted, as if struggling to remember what it was called. "Pokemon." He said eventually, then put the bucket down on the ground and headed inside.

"You've handled some trout so it'd be a wise idea to wash your hands." He suggested, heading upstairs to carry out his own advice.

Once they had and they'd eaten dinner – some Irish Stew, that Bonnie found she quite enjoyed – they settled down to watch Duncan. He was playing Pokemon Colosseum on the main television and looked like he was quite enjoying the game as well.

"What? Too old?" Duncan scoffed, not taking his eyes from the screen. "I might be seventy three years old, but you're never too old to play! Work and no play is like... Having kids without sex. Not worth it. It's boring."

"Duncan, watch your choice of words," warned Elijah from the library, where he was working with the door open. The soft, quiet sound of 'Body Language' hummed from where the original was stationed, flicking through random videos that appeared on Youtube.

"Sorry Eli!" Duncan called back, smiling sheepishly at Elena, who rose with a small smile and headed in to talk to the man in question.

"I was wondering if you could drive me into town," she asked hopefully. "I'd need to get some things."

"Of course. Is there anything else you need?"

"Uh, do you have a printer?"

"We have one here," Elijah murmured, motioning to said object, which was just in the very corner of the room. "Tell me if the ink runs out though so I can go and get some more. If it needs paper, just tell me."

"Thanks."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Aura the tawny Lijagulep found the chocolate stallion, Sumatra, grazing in the small woodland clearing as the sun was rolling around in the sky. The great oak trees stopped all of the light from entering the small section of the forest and she paused to lap up some water from the stream before she approached the copper-maned stallion.

"Our older cub could not attend this gathering," she declared. "He has sent a messenger to speak with us. He should be here soon."

Sumatra blew into Aura's face calmly and nodded. "Things are advancing well, I presume?"

"So far," purred the Lijagulep proudly. "But as if there was any doubt in our winged leader. His mind is sharper than his eyes."

"Hello," grumbled a deep, thick voice. Both turned their heads simultaneously to watch as a large grizzly bear strode into the clearing, jaws parted as he scented the air around him. "This is where I was told to come. You shared the den with the feathered one, did you not?"

"We did," nodded Aura, swishing her tail back and forth as she sized up the massive bear. He had dark, thick fur that was streamlined, as if he had run against the wind. His head was heart shaped, she noted, as he yawned, flashing off sharp, long teeth. His muscles were large and rippled beneath his pelt and he had no tail, but his claws were sharper than a steel cutter and his jaws could undoubtedly crush a car with minimal effort.

The bear lumbered over like a badger on his rough padded feet and sat down on the ground, angling his two short, rounded ears at the two. "Greetings. I have come from the winged one with a message. He told me that the plan is going as he'd expected; the flat-muzzle with dark head fur sent the message incorrectly just on time."

The stallion's eyes blazed triumphantly.

"However, he says that they have figured it out faster than he thought they would."

Aura flicked her ears attentively. "Do they know the truth?" She asked worriedly.

The grizzly bear leaned forward and breathed a cool gust of air on her shoulder. "No. They just know that there is another who will soon rise to battle. They don't yet know who."

"Good," whinnied Sumatra, reaching over to breathe in the bear's scent. "Then our efforts are not going to waste. Did he whicker on how long we should keep the dark one behind the wind wall?"

"The...?" The bear took a moment to understand what he meant. "Oh. He needs another twice-half moon, but it doesn't matter if he gets out early. He said that as long as he stays in this human settlement, there shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright," Aura purred, flexing her paws and gazing proudly around the clearing. From the way her shoulders were drawn back, her tail curled around the floor and her chin was lifted, it was easy to see that she was very happy. "Perfect. Can you send him a message for me?"

The grizzly bear nodded. "Anything," he growled calmly, then leaned forward to listen to what he was meant to report.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

x . five hours earlier . x

The symbol for witch was a circle with four circles signalling the elements of fire, earth, water and wind, with a smaller circle and what looked like two sidewards, curved fangs; one branching off from the smaller, inner circle, and the other branching off from the bigger circle, facing the other way.

The symbol for werewolf was an crudely drawn picture of a wolf with a body of chalk white.

The symbol for vampire was a picture of a circle with spikes angling off of it like a round saw, but with two fangs pointing downwards to signal their teeth.

From the pictures that Meredith had accidentally sent to Elena, they could make out brief lines of what had happened. There'd been a wolf attack, Klaus had burned down the village, but there was one that had been photographed that hadn't been there before. From the picture, it looked like this cave drawing had been purposely hidden, and Meredith had stumbled upon it while taking pictures and not realised what she might have found.

At the moment, though, neither did Bonnie or Elena.

There was the symbol for hybrid; a hybrid of the vampire and wolf symbol that only appeared every once in a while in the images they'd collected. There had been some that Alaric had taken but they'd never figured out – one that only appeared about once throughout the entire cave, but had caused a catastrophic change.

The picture was mostly grey. It was split down the center like a wall, surrounded by a massive ball of spike that could only be described as fire. It was something that a child would draw. Fire also meant destruction, Elena thought, and annotated the copy of the image they'd done on paper. On one side of the wall, contained within the fiery inferno, there was the symbol for hybrid held beneath a circle with a slightly smaller circle within it, but it was also surrounded by fire, like the vampire symbol, but the inner circle was coloured in white. Behind the symbol for hybrid there were pictures of werewolves.

"What does this mean?" Asked Elena, pointing to the strange picture.

"It looks like... A sun?" She phrased it as more of a question. "Maybe another sign for Hybrid?"

Elena had no other ideas, so she jotted it down and went with it.

On the other side of the wall there was another symbol, but this one had three vampire symbols stood behind something in the front; one that they did not recognise. It was a circle with a smaller circle on the inside. It was surrounded by a barrier of thorns... Fire? But it had four fangs. Two were on the inside of the big circle, but outside of the small. The other two fangs were pointing downwards on the outside of both, and there were four circles between the main picture and the two fangs, with two dots on each side; one about a fingernail's breadth from the flat base of the fangs, and two more pointed on the outside of it, further away. Then, behind the three vampire symbols, as if cordoned off, was a mix of both smaller vampire and witch symbols. There was a lone symbol of a wolf, but it was small. There were what looked like three items hovering above each of the symbols of the vampires; a necklace, a round stone coloured in white and a round stone that was left blank.

"What does this mean?" Bonnie asked.

Elena shook her head. "No idea. It's not the same as the drawing above the hybrid, but it looks a little bit similar." She said. "Except it isn't coloured in white anywhere and it hasn't got these spikes pointing down from it."

"Well maybe that's a symbol for the moon?" Bonnie asked. "...Or, wait! Look. It's got the ring of fire like the sun, but it's coloured white like the moon."

"So what... Are you saying... It's a mix of the two? But the sun and the moon combined..."

"A lunar eclipse!" Bonnie exclaimed. "That means a lunar eclipse!"

Elena beamed at her friend's intelligence, nodding in understanding. Then she paused. "How do you know it's not a solar eclipse?"

"If it was a solar eclipse, it would be the other way around. The ring would have the fire on the inside, not the outside."

Elena grinned and wrote it down. "My friend is a genius," she stated to herself.

"But we still need to find out what this one means," Bonnie pointed again to the second symbol. The one on the right side of the wall that stood between the three vampire symbols and the hybrid.

"Maybe it's the directions," Bonnie murmured. "The... The hybrid is on the left, which could mean that if Klaus gets what he wants, there'll be nothing left. Or he'll be the only one left? Whereas these four on the right... What they're doing is right. And they're going against him."

Elena gazed at the right side. "But that means it's a prophecy," she said. "You're saying it as if it's happening."

"Well maybe it is," Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hang on. There are three vampires here. Elijah, Kol and Rebekah? They're going against Klaus."

Bonnie leaned against the table. "Well, if it is a prediction, we still don't know what that means." She pointed at the other symbol again, shaking her head. "Three vampires going against a hybrid. But what on earth..."

One idea came to Elena's mind then. It sent her heart into a frenzied panic, like a sweet, caring old canary whose cage was being rattled by a bloodthirsty lion. Bonnie obviously saw her sudden distress and steadied her on her feet, trying to look into her wide eyes.

"Oh my god," she choked through a dry throat. "Oh – my – god."

"Elena, what is it?" Bonnie demanded.

"That... That picture..." Elena pointed at the symbol that they were trying to figure out. "Look at this." Scrambling for a laminated picture of the supernatural species, she grabbed two of them and folded one over the other so that the black ink swirls were making a new image. She thumped it down beside the picture and felt Bonnie's confused expression turn to one of imminent horror.

Elena had merged two sets of lines that should have been impossible. It matched almost perfectly. It shouldn't be possible, but the resemblance was like that of twins. Aside from the four dots, which were placed at the bottom of the circle between the last curve and the fangs, it was a perfect match.

It meant that there was going to be a war. It wasn't a recall of past events. It was a prophecy – one that was starting to come true.

"A second hybrid," Bonnie rasped painfully. "There's a second hybrid... A vampire... And a witch..."


	12. Honour in Battle

One week, now, and Caroline's muscles were starting to stiffen. It felt like she was sick; like tasting stomach acid in the back of her throat, her muscles starting to burn persistently. She groaned and twisted on the sofa in the sophomore common room, clutching a pillow to her stomach.

Tyler was in an equally as rattled position, albeit worse. It seemed like the two youngest vampires were feeling the strain first. Stefan had felt sick and weak over the past few days but Klaus was still walking around as if he weren't really bothered about it.

_He wouldn't be, _Caroline thought bitterly, hearing Tyler writhe on the sofa. _He's over a thousand years old. His veins must already be pumped with blood. It'll take them longer to feel it._

But now they were finding it difficult to walk. Tyler – the loyal sire-bonded hybrid – had surprised Klaus by snarling at him to "politely fuck off and leave me alone", as Caroline remembered it. She made a small amused sound, her mouth bursting into a feverish grin, and looked over to Tyler, who was staring at her with just as much amusement.

"You certainly told him," she smiled quietly. "I thought he would rip your head off for sure."

Tyler swallowed a gathering of saliva in his mouth. "Yeah," he snorted. "He must've figured out that leaving me alive like this would be worse though. But I guess there really isn't much we can do aside from wait."

"What – is going – on!" Roared Klaus from the other room. They could have heard him clearly if he'd talked normally but now his voice made them wince in pain.

He was on the phone to Rebekah.

Rebekah's voice sounded stressed on the other side. "We're doing our best to- No, shut up, Kol! Get back over there! We're trying to find a strong enough witch but it's going to take time. It seems like they've all just buggered off out of Mystic Falls!"

Klaus's rage only grew like wildfire. "Then drag them all back here with your hands and force them to undo this fucking spell!"

There was a moment of inarticulate conversation on the other end of the phone. Rebekah was telling Kol to do something – apparently they'd found something.

Then Rebekah spoke again. "I think we've found someone that can help. We're going to Georgia to pick them up but it's going to take about ten hours to get there, find them and get back."

Caroline swore she could hear Klaus grinding his teeth. It was a wonder his jaw hadn't snapped off. "Hurry up, or I swear I'll dagger you both!"

Rebekah made a sound as if she were going to end the call, but then there was a startled shout and Kol's voice sounded on the phone.

"Again with the dagger threats?" He scoffed. "Brother, you need a new threat. Like you, your words are getting old!"

"Fuck off!" Klaus practically roared, then slammed the phone down on the counter and kicked it into the wall destructively.

Even though the phone was in too many pieces to fix, Caroline swore she could hear Kol laughing in her mind. Klaus stormed in, took a breath to forcibly calm himself and then crouched down in front of her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Caroline swallowed raw and blinked hazily up at him. Even his face was starting to blur. "Don't feel so good," she admitted, shaking her head weakly. "You look like Johnny Depp..."

With no shaving equipment, Klaus had started to grow facial hair. On the first day it had just been stubble but now he was sporting a small gingery house on his face. Klaus shrugged off the saying as if it were a weak insult. "Are you feeling bad because I look like Johnny Depp?" He inquired softly.

Caroline giggled and curled up into a tighter ball as her stomach contracted. She'd grown so used to eating that she was finding it hard to adjust to the emptiness in her belly. "I think food might help," she murmured. "Can you see if there's anything edible in the cafeteria? It's the big hall with the shutters..."

Klaus gazed at her for a moment longer. "I can try find something for you to eat," he replied, though unsure as if he hadn't really made anything to eat before. When he left, Caroline heaved herself onto her feet and made what would otherwise have been a normal trip to the women's changing room, had she not been completely exhausted at the end of it. Thankfully there were showers, which meant she didn't have to look as horrible as she felt, but there was no shampoo or conditioner that she had with her. In the end she had to break into the cupboard to find a spare set of bottles that had been confiscated from a student a few months before.

Feeling like a hippo was using her as a stepping stool, she stripped, drew the curtains behind her and turned on the shower. Hopefully it would make her feel better.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Seven days.

Elijah hadn't missed the change in behaviour around him. They were intent when they watched him; thought that he couldn't feel their eyes burning into his shoulders as he turned his back. It had started two days ago just before he'd taken Elena into town.

They thought if they walked out onto the beach they wouldn't be overheard. They were wrong.

An original vampire's ears could detect sound much farther than they were talking. He knew everything they were saying – he chose to remain oblivious. Philip also knew, but then again Philip had also known. He'd figured it out for himself a long while back. He'd found out that Elijah had been going to war – that he had been for over a thousand years, but two hundred spent planning. Philip had told him that, when the time came, he'd stand by him.

Duncan also knew. He didn't know as much as Philip did but he was still aware.

"Just one week," Philip murmured, sitting in Elijah's room on his bed as the original moved about and packed various things. He was doing it early just to make sure he didn't forget anything.

Elijah nodded gravely. "It's not too late to back out, you know," he murmured. "As soon as this starts... The only way it will end is if either me or my half-brother die."

Philip snorted. "Klaus can go to hell for all I care. As far as I'm concerned, he only has mindless pawns. The difference between him and you is you actually have friends and those who care about you. Those hybrids would rather take a chunk out of his throat than yours."

"Hm," Elijah thought, staring at the floor. "Still, I'm worried, Phil. I can't be killed by anything except for a weapon that my sister has. You can die in several ways, and once Duncan gets hurt, that's it. He's a warlock, not a vampire. I don't want to put you through that."

Philip stared ahead of him. "I know," he murmured. "But if this doesn't stop, we can all go down. He might not be able to kill you, Eli, but he can still weaken you. Torture you. If I walked away now, after all you've done... It's not an option. I'm doing this because I love you, not because I'm obliged. Duncan thinks exactly the same."

Elijah sighed and crouched down on the floor, opening up a small hidden compartment that led into an underground tunnel. Philip leapt onto his arm and held on as Elijah looked through, then leapt down underneath the house and into a tunnel.

"I want you to take this to our hiding place," he murmured, handing over Esther's necklace, which was wrapped up in a bundle of dark brown cloth. "You remember the way?"

"We carved these tunnels," Philip pointed out. "Of course I remember the way."

Elijah nodded and, as soon as the vampire vanished into the corridor of stone, he erupted into a coughing fit. It was vicious, as if it had been a storm brewing inside of him for a long time, and he lifted his hand to catch the sudden flood of crimson that erupted from his maw like lava. It was blotched with darker flecks, as if blood had started clotting in his veins, and he let out a shuddering gasp for breath.

Philip charged back up the tunnel towards him and caught him as he collapsed onto his knees. "Easy, easy," he soothed, but Elijah did not stop coughing. It's bad, he thought, and grabbed a hold of the weak original, leaping back up into the room and slamming the trap door shut with a swift kick. He lowered Elijah down onto the floor and covered the hollow entrance up, which was right next to his book shelf, and raced out to find Duncan.

Elijah felt light headed by the time they both appeared. Duncan had a wrap of herbs gripped in one hand and he rushed up to the vampire as Philip shut and locked the door.

Together they pressed it against his face like a mask. Philip kept him sitting upright while Duncan murmured a quiet spell.

They didn't know why exactly it happened – they figured it was because of his vast age, and his body was evolving into something to erase a weakness. He was the first and oldest vampire, after all, and if anything should happen, it was natural that it would happen to him first.

By the time Duncan had stopped the spell and pulled the mask away from Elijah's face, he was out of it. Unconscious, they guessed, and pulled him up onto his black satin sheets. Philip pulled off his shoes while Duncan tried to free him from the binding suit jacket. They left him in his dark trousers and white shirt before heading out to tell the others that he was asleep.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Bonnie Bennett crept into the room when she heard Duncan and Philip finally leave the house with Elena. Elijah was there, his eyelids fluttering slightly, lying over a silk nest of jet. Bonnie took a moment to observe her surroundings.

His room was large with sandy brown walls and a slight alcove where his window sat, overlooking the sea. A shelf stood proud in the corner of the room, laden with books and journals. There was a door off to the right of the room that led into a private bathroom, which she didn't enter. Rather, she walked over to the king-sized bed and stared intently at him to make sure that he wasn't going to wake up.

When she was sure he was slumbering deeply, she reached forward. She froze as his brow furrowed as if pained and he groaned, turning his head away. But he made no move of waking, so she reached forward again, pressing her hand to his temple before closing her eyes.

She pressed forward into his mind, which was hard since there were so many barriers and walls protecting each and every memory. She couldn't even see a snippet of it until she brushed up close, but she couldn't find anything that would be of use to her.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

_She was in the Viking era, gazing steadily at a long-haired man who she knew was Elijah from his face. She could see him grappling with an ugly man whose teeth were lengthened and eyes were a blistering yellow._

"_I cannot be defeated by a Mikaelson!" Snarled the werewolf, swinging a hard fist around at the human's face. Elijah saw it coming despite the enhanced speed and lifted his arm just in time to protect his face. He was thrown back with a howl of agony as he landed palm-down on his hand. His arm immediately bent to an unnatural angle and she felt uneasy by the loud, sickening crack and pained moan._

_But, miraculously, Elijah simply reached for his sword and scrambled to his feet. Even the crowd let out a rippling cry of sympathy and discomfort as they watched him try to lift his broken arm. It was normal up to an angle, but then the limb just hung down uselessly below his elbow._

_He danced around his opponent using his weaker hand – his left hand – and immediately switched tactics. Bonnie heard a scuffling noise and realised that Mikael – Elijah's father – had been watching, and had come closer to get a better look. Rebekah, Klaus, Kol, Finn, Esther and a boy that she did not recognise also crowded around to see their elder battle the uneven fight. Klaus looked very troubled._

_The Bennett witch looked back over as she heard another grunt and crack – this time Elijah's ribcage had taken the brunt of the force, but he'd managed to carve a gash into the werewolf's strong arm. In return he had obtained several contusions to his chest, back and shoulders, but nothing life threatening._

_They exchanged blows for a few moments more. Elijah managed to elicit a few roars of laughter from the crowd – especially from Kol and, surprisingly, from Mikael, by swinging around and kicking Cross right in the face, making him fly half way across the clearing and crash in front of the crowd._

"_This is for my family, Cross! You'll see what you get for attacking my younger brother!" Elijah snarled, backing up slightly as Cross tried to rip open his belly. Suddenly he was on top of the man, using a sudden gust of wind to knock Cross off of his feet. He landed atop the werewolf's chest, his boots crunching into bone, making the Lockwood screech._

"_Cross!" Shouted the Lockwood's father, looking panicked. "Get up!"_

_Mikael sneered at the concerned father. "Not confident in your son's skills, old man? Maybe you should teach him first hand what happens if you screw with my kids!"_

_Cross flailed and clawed at his ankles, trying to get up, but his wounds were great. Finally he conceded. "I surrender! I surrender!"_

_Bonnie heard loud gasps from all around; there was a sense of defeat in even Cross's father's gaze as he watched his son whimper submissively._

_Elijah sliced a nasty wound at the base of his throat which bled a river of crimson as Cross's thrashing grew weaker. A pack of werewolves in human form let out disbelieving cries as Cross lost consciousness and went limp. He wasn't dead, but he would be soon if he didn't get treatment._

_With a final kick to send his defeated opponent crashing to his dishevelled father, he staggered back over to his own family and stabbed his sword into the ground. Then he let himself sink onto the soft grass with a furious sigh of relief. He sat there with one knee high and his left arm propped up on his knee, with his broken arm lying limply in an awkward position on the ground._

_Rebekah and Esther immediately reached out to tend to his wounds, but Elijah's eyes were closed and his head was low._

_Mikael crouched down and, with a rough but gentle hand, lifted his son's head up. His eyes were twinkling with mirth. "Well done. You have restored our family's honour and made rise the Lockwood's shame. I could not be prouder."_

_Elijah smiled weakly, feeling warm hands run over his back, taking away the pain of the battle. Stealing a glance from Henrik, he blinked and took in his youngest brother's battered appearance. He looked upset._

_Leaning away from Esther's touch, he nodded to the raven-haired boy. "Please heal him first," he begged quietly. Henrik looked surprised and then ashamed, but Elijah continued, "Come now, little brother. Women shall not fall for such a miserable appearance. I have defeated he who hurt you. Doesn't that make you happy?"_

_Henrik gazed at the broken form of Cross, then looked over towards the rest of the pack, who were in disharmony after their leader's fall. Elijah caught onto what he was looking at, then growled and brushed his family away, striding towards them with menace evident in his eyes._

"_Well? What are you standing around here for?" He snarled. Sparks of fire danced around him like quick, golden sand-worms. Anger released tendrils of magic which created an angry electric blue mist around him. "Would you also like to test me?"_

_There were uncertain murmurs, then shaking of the head. Even in Elijah's wounded state, his defeat of their pack leader meant that he was now in charge, even if he didn't want to be. "Leave," he ordered. "Go home and rest." And thankfully enough, his new pack obeyed. All except Niklaus, who stared at Henrik as they healed him._

_Elijah took a step towards them, stiffened and stumbled, clutching at his rib with a pained moan. Bonnie watched as Mikael lifted the wounded warrior off of the ground and moved through the crowd to take him home._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

_Bonnie was in another memory, six months later. Elijah was completely healed and he was sitting at a carpentry desk, carving a new archery bow out of wood. Bonnie walked around him and stared, tilting her head to peer over his shoulder. His white, dusty sleeves were rolled up and he had a hammer and chisel in one hand, bashing rhythmically at the top of the bow to create a weapon thin enough that it could be bent, but thick enough that it would not snap._

_The bow was thin and long, and he ran over it with a large stone that he'd obviously used to wear the sides down to a smoother angle. After a few minutes he stopped, sighing, and glanced over to a box in the corner._

_Bonnie followed his gaze. It was a coffin, she realised, not big enough for an adult but too big for a child. An adolescent? She watched as he picked it up with a haunted expression in his eyes and drag it outside to where Kol and Finn were doing something._

_As he approached they looked at him and backed up slightly, not really sure what to do. As Bonnie watched, he undid the lid of the coffin, which was revealed to have a thick blanket inside of it for comfort, and motion for the two to help him._

_The three boys picked up the body, which had a sleek mossy nest of raven hair, a set but slightly crooked jaw and a peaceful expression, as if he was happy. Bonnie immediately recognised it as 'Henrik', the boy who had been beaten, but how could he have died?_

"_Bloody werewolves," Kol choked on his breath, obviously distressed. "Fucking Cross, I know it was. He always hated Rick. Thought he was the runt to be picked on. I'll find that bastard and tear him to pieces for what he's done."_

_Elijah looked equally as torn, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes, as if he didn't think Cross had done what they were accusing him of. "Finn, get the others please," he murmured, and waved his quiet brother away._

_Kol was, at this point, struggling to fight back his emotions. He let out a halt sob, half moan and Elijah was instantly beside him, wrapping his arms around him and rubbing circles on his back. "Hush, hush... I know, Kol. We all miss him..."_

_Kol was crying freely into Elijah's shoulder. Despite Bonnie's dislike of the man, she found it difficult to watch, and felt her own emotions choking her up inside._

"_Klaus doesn't," he confessed. "Klaus watched that time when he got beat up, and he always ordered him around. Our brother is just as much a bastard – a werewolf, he is. I bet he'd side with them rather than us. He's bad blood, brother. How can he be one of us?"_

_Elijah hissed breath through his teeth – shhhhh – and rocked back and forth slightly, as if trying to wean out Kol's sadness. He too was feeling overwhelmed with grief, but he'd taken more after Mikael than he'd thought, and he was pushing it down to be strong. He was the older brother here, he needed to look after his siblings. But he knew that sometimes it was wrong to keep things bottled up inside. Sometimes you needed to release the tensions and just talk to someone – talk until your lungs shrivelled up from lack of air, or you talked so much and for so long that you literally ran out of words to say._

"_Klaus loved Henrik just as much as we all did. Beneath it all he cared. He just made some mistakes, that's all." Elijah murmured, but Bonnie could see from the chill in his eyes that he knew it was empty words. Still, Kol believed them, and after a moment more of crying, he finally stood up._

_Elijah reached over and smudged the tears away. "Henrik died quickly of his wounds. The injury at the back of his head would have knocked him out – he didn't feel a thing. You hear that?"_

_Kol sniffed and nodded. "He didn't feel a thing," he repeated. Then his eyes glanced up, and he saw the rest of his family approaching from the stone house. Bonnie watched them approach, and then a dark skinned woman in the crowd froze, a bundle of herbs in her arms, and stared straight at her._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Bonnie exploded from the original vampire's mind as a burst of powerful energy blinded her. She staggered back and wiped at her eyes with her knuckles, only to see Elijah standing in front of her, awake and glaring at her quite angrily.

Bonnie's heart skipped a beat.

Shit.


	13. Wrong Move

"Oh bugger," said Captain Jack Sparrow on the magic box just as Klaus stormed into the room.

Kol, knowing his marathon of watching Pirates of the Caribbean was now over, sighed. He glanced over his shoulder to Rebekah, who was pouring herself a drink of hot chocolate. "Hide the rum," he said.

Klaus grabbed the remote in one hand and switched off the television. "What are you doing?"

"Watching Pirates of the Caribbean," replied Kol, smiling up at his brother. It was the kind of smile that said, 'go on, I dare you.'

Klaus almost crushed the remote in his hand. He put it down on the coffee table, which Kol's feet were kicked up on, and clenched his jaw. "You – should be out – looking for Elena," he snarled, pausing every few words.

Kol leered up at his brother, reaching out for the remote again. He was dressed in a Pirates of the Caribbean T-shirt and black khaki trousers. "Come now, Nick! Why so serious? At this rate you'll end up giving yourself a heart attack!"

Klaus glared at him in warning.

Kol had been around him so much to know that Klaus wasn't going to do anything. He would threaten but never carry it out – at least not with him. For some reason Klaus feared him. Probably because, after Elijah, he had been the second vampire created. Kol was unpredictable and that gave him the advantage, because while being unpredictable, he could switch it around and have a moment of predictability just to throw off other people.

And that made him very dangerous.

"Get off your arse," seethed Klaus, "And help me find Elena."

Rebekah strutted through, holding the cup of hot chocolate in her hand. "We've been at it for days, Nick. We've had no leads and none of your hybrids have reported seeing anything strange. Why not just give it up?"

That, Kol realised, was not an option for Klaus. "I need more Hybrids," he shouted. Kol rolled his eyes.

"And I need more popcorn," Kol thrust the empty bowl at him and watched as he threw it at the wall. Standing up, Kol glared at his older half-brother, narrowing his eyes and shifting from one foot to the other. Being taller than the hybrid, he looked down at him, and smiled darkly.

This was getting interesting.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Twigs and autumn leaves crunched beneath his thick paws as he lumbered near to the edge of the water, peering inside for any signs of movement. He was at the great river, a place that he could be undisturbed, especially since no flat-muzzle dared walk here.

Alone, he settled himself on the rocks and waited. Apparently there would be a water dweller in the ocean around and he could ask him to fetch the winged one. Anticipation made his grey pads itch and the earth brown grizzly bear licked at his paws as if the after-taste of honey still lingered. After a few heartbeats of waiting, he heard a quiet splash, and a dolphin poked his head out from the surf. He clicked a few notes in greeting.

"Hello!" Said the dolphin.

The bear's deep voice growled an echo of welcome. "You are Atlantis?" He asked, though it was pretty obvious. What other dolphin would swim these parts?

Atlantis nodded and bobbed up and down. "Wait here one moment," he whistled, then vanished under the water.

The grizzly bear saw the dolphin's shadow slip away quickly and he wondered if he knew what he was going to be asked. He heard a loud series of clicks and squeaks from somewhere nearby, and then the dolphin returned with a fish clamped between his jaws.

He threw it up onto the bank of rocks and clapped his fins together. "A gift," he said.

Surprised, the bear reached down, took the fish into his jaws and, in one mighty snap, bit the creature in half. It was a natural part of his diet and it tasted sweet, but he preferred other things since it would make his breath smell funny. He picked the other part up in his teeth, feeling the fish's blood swamp his mouth, and he desired to finish it off, but instead he tossed it into the air and watched the dolphin leap for it.

"Mmm!" Clicked the dolphin appreciatively. "Thanks!"

The bear nodded and settled down. The rocks were slippery and it was hard to get a pawhold in the dips. He didn't want to fall into the water, because it didn't look like there was any safe way to climb out without swimming all the way around the cliffs and to the shore where the flat-muzzle gatherings were.

A shadow fell over him and he barely had time to glance up before a raptor landed neatly on the rocks beside him. The wind was in full force today so there were plenty of drifts to catch, but at the same time it was also fairly dangerous since a lesser flier or one who might not be as experienced in catching and staying on the right drift might get blown about like a flat-muzzle's see-through holder.

Clicking his beak in greeting, the large brown raptor took a few steps on the soaked rocks and folded his long, powerful wings against his side. A spray of water cascaded up the rocks and he had to shrink against the massive bear to keep himself from being swept out to sea.

"Couldn't you think of a safer place to meet me?" Asked the raptor flatly.

The bear growled a laugh. "Ah, but where else would I watch the great war bird squirm?" Raising a paw up into the air, he rolled slightly onto his side. "Climb under me. I'll keep you tied to shore."

Though feeling indignant, the ruffled raptor crept beneath the bear's arm and sat down. As the paw came down on top of his back, keeping him not just warm but also safely tethered to the rocks, he instinctively flared his wings. It took him a moment to calm himself and settle back down.

"Enclosed spaces do not fare well with me, fledgeling. I apologise." He chirruped, reaching behind him to sort his now windblown feathers back into alignment.

The bear snapped his jaws teasingly, but nodded. "It's fine. After all, who else would come beneath a grizzly bear?"

"Goldilocks?" Squawked the dolphin. There was a brief respite of laughter amongst the trio, and then the brown raptor looked up towards the bear.

"Did you deliver my message?" Asked the bird.

Nodding, the bear replied, "I did. Your den mates are very brave for standing by you in this time."

"They are," said the raptor pointedly, almost hinting to something. "I have to admit that I did not expect you back so soon."

The bear clicked his teeth hotly. "Yes, I was given a message to relay to you." When he'd searched his brain to remember the message, he gazed down at the calm raptor. "The sleeping hunter has not yet awoken. The omen carrier is growing more and more irrational and it would do well to check in on him. That and the half blood now walks free and is growing agitated by his denmate's disappearance."

The raptor stared ahead to Atlantis, who was watching him carefully. "Maybe you should go back for one sun?"

"No," the raptor shook his head. "I have duties here. The others will come soon and I cannot afford mistakes. That and I need to rest. I have been injured in battle."

Atlantis and the grizzly bear looked alarmed. "Are you okay?"

Shifting slightly, the raptor gazed over the sea to avoid his friend's eyes. "Well. I am recovering. It was nothing serious."

Atlantis vanished under the water for a moment, wetting his face. He hated it when he got dry. "So what will you do?" He asked, bathing himself in the soft surf. "Leave them to their own devices? You know how the dark wing gets when he is upset."

The raptor was silent for a few long heartbeats. "We will wait," he murmured. "Then I will call the others here. We will proceed as normal. I just hope that the crow does not act rashly in his haste."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Damon had to drag his weakened brother back into the house. One week and three days without blood really was taxing, he thought, and immediately poured a drink of blood. Then he lifted up several blood bags and watched as Stefan ripped into them like a savage animal, drinking a glass slowly himself.

Colour slowly returned to Stefan's face, but the peace and calmness did not. Damon had to pin him down to stop him from racing out of the house in search of Elena. Stefan snarled at him in anger.

"You're going nowhere," he gave his devilish, charming smile. As Stefan opened his mouth to speak, he added, "Ah! _No. _You try take one step out of this door, I'll tear off your legs, brother. You need to take care of yourself first."

"But Elena-" Stefan started.

Damon was tempted to slap his hand over his younger brother's face. "Can wait," he said sternly. The words sounded as if he didn't care, but they were forced. He was just good at hiding his emotions. Stefan stared at him incredulously. Damon continued, "We need to think of a plan, and you need to get yourself back to normal. Go have a shower, come back down and have another feed. I'm going to check on Caroline."

There was a great struggle going on in Stefan Salvatore's eyes. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, shaking with both fear and anguish, but every time, Damon would cut him off with an "Ah!" or a "Nope." to send his frantic mind back into a submissive, settled state.

Finally he relented, and sighed, slapping the sides of the couch with his hands. "Fine," he said, regaining some semblance of control. "Fine. I'll – I'll go upstairs, have a shower and get some sleep. Then will you _please _let me figure out some way to save Elena?"

"That's more like the brother I know," Damon smirked, giving him a slap on the shoulder, and adding quietly to himself, _but we don't even know where she is._

Damon hadn't been looking for her. He'd been too busy trying to make up excuses to keep Alaric on life support. Meredith had told him that Alaric was still in a deep coma, but she'd found a possible reason for it. There was an injury on his heart that meant he wasn't getting enough oxygen to his brain, because it was running overtime and on adrenaline to keep itself going. It was a wonder they hadn't discovered it before but she was "prepping him for an immediate operation" to get a closer look and possibly fix the damage to his heart.

But her words still rung in his ears like a mantra. "Even if he does survive," she told him grimly, "And he wakes up, he still might have residual heart problems. We can fix the damage from the outside but it'll take a long time for him to completely heal. We wouldn't even recommend letting him walk around at first just until we know he can breathe off of life support."

Damon had asked, "But can't we just feed him some vampire blood and clear up this whole problem?"

Meredith had refused. "You already did that, remember? Back at the graveyard, you fed him some of your blood because of his injuries. I think, because the white oak stake is a threat to all vampires, it created a small area that kept your blood away from reaching his heart, so it couldn't heal. But if you try it again now there's no telling what might happen."

Damon stared blankly at the glass of whiskey. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. "What do you mean, 'there's no telling what might happen'? Are you telling me he's damned if we do, damned if we don't?"

Meredith had stared straight through him. "They tried to turn him into a vampire. His heart beat when it shouldn't, which meant witches kept him from transitioning, or something happened that made it so he didn't turn. If you feed him your blood again, and he dies during the operation, he'll turn anyway, and we both know Alaric wouldn't want that."

The soft beeps of the heart monitor echoed in his ears. Slow, and steady; like a high pitched drum beat in his ears.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Usually surgeons didn't operate on those that they loved, knew, or those that were related to them in any way. But Meredith Fell was the only surgeon skilled enough to carry out the operation, and the hospital staff list currently available was shorter than drawing the short straw in a gamble.

And that was what this felt like. A 50-50 gamble. Either she carried it out or she didn't. Either way Alaric could die, or he could live.

But operating directly onto the heart... "Fuck," she swore quietly. The heart and brain were possibly the two worst things to operate on. The heart especially.

The lungs could collapse if pricked by a small pin. The spine and nervous system could lead to paraplegia if just the slightest mistake was to occur. Death could happen at any time, in all high priority operations.

"Get the blood bag ready," she murmured, sickly staring down at her boyfriend's heart. Blood was starting to gather around his organs. She glanced up at a doctor, who used suction to remove the excess blood so that she could see, and so that Alaric wouldn't end up bleeding internally.

She wished they could cover up his face so she didn't have to look at it. He looked so fragile and weak, but still retained his handsome appearance. She'd asked a few doctors to help Damon with bathing him so that he could retain whatever dignity that he had left. Frankly she didn't give the slightest damn if he had no dignity left, as long as it meant that he would survive and somehow just wake up in the morning, and ask her how she was, or how she felt. She missed waking up beside him in his bed, getting dressed feeling his cheeky eyes sneak the last glance at her body that he'd done unimaginable things to only hours before, or help her cook breakfast as they watched Elena sleepily saunter down the stairs, blissfully unaware of what had been going on in the next room.

A nudge to her arm told her she'd been daydreaming and she looked up at Doctor Sloan, who had been her best friend when they'd taken medical school together. Sloan gave her a sympathetic glance and moved around the table, ushering one of the surgeons in training away from the oxygen mask that had been placed over Alaric's mouth.

He squeezed the bag gently in his hand. "I can take over if you want, _Merry_," he murmured gently, using a nickname they'd made up a while back. "You don't have to stay in here. You know I'm a capable surgeon."

Meredith knew that. They'd done countless operations together; trained together, risen through the ranks, supported each other and even had a few flirty moments that hadn't gone anywhere aside from the inside of the pub. But somehow, just for this one patient, she didn't trust anyone but herself to carry out the first operation. She felt that way even though she doubted herself completely.

What if she screwed up?

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she started to recite the Hippocratic Oath. "...That I will fulfill according to my ability and judgement this oath and this covenant: To hold him, who has taught me this art, as equal to my parents..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Watching Caroline and Tyler drink hungrily from the blood bags, Damon found himself staring blindly at the drawn curtains. "What do you mean you called off the operation?" He demanded.

"My colleague discovered a small fragment of wood embedded into his heart that was causing him to bleed internally and have difficulty in breathing. However she realised the cause for the coma was not his heart, but that he has a build up of fluids in his skull, which caused swelling and also applied pressure on his spine. That also caused the seizures."

Damon felt his heart soar. "So you've figured out what's wrong with him?" He asked, his eyes brightening with hope. Caroline and Tyler looked over to him.

"We believe we have." Doctor Sloan's voice was equally as excited, although he was trying to hold his tone steady and not make any promises. "However it means he will have to go in for another operation. However... Doctor Fell wishes to speak with you regarding his status. Could you come down to the hospital?"

"I'll be right there," Damon said, clicking his phone off and standing up. He headed straight for the door.

"We'll come too," Tyler said, rising to follow him. Caroline nodded and chased after the two, eager to see her history teacher.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Find what you were looking for?" Growled an irate Elijah, glowering at Bonnie, who seemed stricken by horror at his sudden awakening. "Or did you just want to look inside my mind for fun?"

Bonnie backed against the wall, afraid. She could feel her magic abandoning her, taunting her, leaving her to face Elijah alone. She backed against the alcove at his window, whirling around sharply in an attempt to find an escape route. She hadn't noticed it before but there was a dip that could have been passed off as a sink, and sat in front of the window was a small group of roses with thorns that nipped at her wrists angrily. She could hear them hissing at her, as if they too knew she had wronged he who cared for them.

The fact that Elijah grew roses in his room didn't register that well in her mind. He was drawing closer, his brow furrowed and auburn eyes like pools of midnight magma, bubbling and frothing with anger. From his smooth, gliding walk, she knew he was seething and doing his best to control his temper, but that frightened her the most. He was this much in control and his eyes still blitzed like tethered chains of lightning.

His gaze scorched her. Vampires on their own made her uneasy, but an angry vampire that could not be killed terrified her.

"Well?" He asked, smiling slightly as if he himself were nervous, quirking his head. He stopped, keeping his distance, shoving his hands in his pockets, though she could hear his knuckles click and crack with effort.

Despite their sharp teeth, she kept herself pressed against the thorns, feeling her blood trickle down into the flowerbed. "I- I... I was just-..."

"Trying to figure out more about the second hybrid?" He asked. At Bonnie's stunned expression, he narrowed his eyes. "I know all about it, Bonnie. My ears are better than you think, and your abrupt change in behaviour was easier to spot than a tiger walking down a busy street. So I ask you again. _What – were you – looking for?_"

Bonnie had an idea of escape before she even realised what she was doing. She grabbed a fistful of earth from the rosebed at the window and hurled it at Elijah, who lifted his hand to shield his eyes. She bolted, screaming for the door, but a shadow fell and barred her way.

Philip was shaking his finger, tutting at her, his fangs lengthened and eyes blood red. "Don't even think about it," he warned in a venomous growl, stepping inside the room and kicking the door shut behind him.

She could overpower him, one part of her brain told her, but the other was telling her that he was a vampire over one hundred years old, and he'd slit her throat if she made any move against him. Elijah cleared his throat and Bonnie turned around. He seemed calmer, though the tension in his arms was obvious. He curled his left hand, his weaker hand, around a stress relief ball he kept on the desk. Like Philip crunching his teeth into a jawbreaker, the original gave the slightest squeeze and it exploded in a shower of small stones.

Philip herded her back into the middle of the room. "You have some explaining to do," he muttered.


	14. Find Nemo? Find Atlantis!

Meredith rested her hand atop Alaric's forehead, tears slipping down her cheeks. She wanted to scream. She heard Damon come in, and suddenly she couldn't hold it in any more. Slender hands shot up to her face to catch the tears and her lips drew back. She had no control over it.

"I can't do it," she wailed. "I can't... I can't-"

Damon caught her as she almost fell onto her knees. Pulling her against his chest, his eyes darted around the room nervously. God, he never signed up for this shit. Meredith cried into his shirt, her face pressed so forcefully against him that it was a wonder it didn't cave in.

"I love him," she cried. "I don't think I can do this. I could kill him, or... Or I could hurt him..."

"No," Damon growled. From what she was doing, he knew she was trying to hide herself from the world. "No, he won't die, because we won't let it. You're a better surgeon than that, Meredith. You can do it."

Meredith choked on the fabric of his John Varvatos shirt. "I barely held it together in the operating room," she confessed. "I had to recite the oath, but he's not just some stranger, Damon. I can't treat him equally with anyone else!"

Damon sighed. "And you don't have to," he murmured gently, thinking of some way – any way – to stop her from crying. "You're right, Meredith. He's not some stranger. He's Alaric Saltzman – Vampire hunter, father, lover, friend, family, teacher..." He could feel Caroline and Tyler behind him gnawing on their lips awkwardly. "You need a break. Come on. When's the next operation?"

"It's... It's tomorrow morning..."

"Then we're going to leave the hospital," he shot a pointed glance at Caroline to say, 'stay with him'. "Come on. You're coming with me."

Doctor Sloan walked into the room. He was fairly young with curtains of long blonde hair still tied up from the operation. He was in casual attire and rested a hand on Damon's shoulder as he gazed worriedly at his colleague.

"I'll come with you," he murmured gently. "I can fill you in with his condition a bit more... And I'd like to stay around Merry, if that's alright. It looks like she could use some help."

Damon nodded, guiding an exhausted Meredith Fell outside of the hospital room. Doctor Sloan followed right beside him, helping to keep his colleague on her feet while Damon shut Caroline and Tyler in with Alaric.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena stood outside on the wooden patio, which was like a very small garden. It was possibly her favourite place to be simply because of the gorgeous view of the ocean. Wes had talked to Elijah, asking him to show them some CPR just in case they were alone in the water and needed to resuscitate someone on the sand. He'd readily agreed but she hadn't missed Bonnie slinking around looking like a whipped cur. Something had happened, but every time she'd tried to ask about it, Bonnie refused to talk about it. It was as if she'd had an argument with someone – Philip? She'd seen the raven-haired vampire lurking around like a tiger shark ready to strike.

Elijah had pulled her aside a few hours ago, telling her that he felt something was wrong. He'd said that Philip could sense when someone was compelled, and he believed she was under some kind of compulsion. Elena had, obviously, laughed it off and said he must be mental, but Elijah's facial expression had been one she'd translated to mean, 'not joking around'.

So they'd pulled her aside and explained how they were going to break it. Elijah would use his ability as an original to override the compulsion and she'd remember everything that had ever happened to her that she was currently being told to forget.

But now she wished she hadn't agreed to that. She could remember things she didn't want to – things she hadn't been aware she knew. Shocking things.

Damon had compelled her to forget him. Apparently he'd met her before she'd met Stefan; he'd been lying in the middle of the road, a little bit upset or drunk, she still couldn't figure it out. But it had been him who she'd met first out of the brothers, not Stefan, on a walk home from a school dance a few years ago.

But it was Stefan's compulsion that had been 'thicker', which Philip translated as meaning he'd done it many more times than anyone else had. He'd counted several glazes in her eyes. Not just one, but several. And now she was numb to it all, feeling violated, abused and sickened. She'd trusted him and he'd used her, made her forget things she hadn't wanted to.

"Compulsion in this form is like a rape of the mind," Elijah had told her darkly. "Not many vampires would stoop this low. Klaus has done so several times, I know that. But not even Rebekah would do this to you. I'm not sure why Stefan would."

She could remember it all. Everything. And thinking back to it all now made her shiver, leaning against the banister that separated her from the steep fall down the cliff, to the jagged rocks at the bottom. She was so humiliated and angry she just wanted to jump.

But before she could, there was a shadow. The bird from a few nights before was there, stood on the railing, looking aside at her with deep eyes. It was the very same bird that had fed the pike Wes had given him; brushed against Riki the lifeguard dog, who she'd seen running up and down the beach dutifully, helping to carry first aid kids in a backpack on her back, delivering oxygen masks and dragging boards from a harness that they'd designed specifically for her.

Again she was afraid of the giant raptor, but she didn't feel like doing anything now. She was so humiliated, she just wanted to curl up and die.

"It seems like everyone is just out to use me," she confessed, not really sure why she was talking to the raptor. The giant, brown bird crab-walked over the banister until he sat next to her, gazing at her calmly.

"Stefan, he's... He was my boyfriend. Klaus came along and took him away from me, just made him turn into... Into a jerk." She wiped at her eyes but the tears just kept flowing. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I can't believe I fell for it... How am I meant to fight compulsion? I thought..."

Stefan had given her Esther's necklace. An item of jewellery that had vervain – a drug that warded off vampires – embedded into the locket in the middle. It was meant to prevent compulsion but she'd lost it a while back – over a week ago, when she was first brought to Dublin. Elena had thought him to be on her side, but it had all been a ruse. Klaus had never let him go. He'd been taking more and more blood, using Stefan as a conduit to compel her to forget. She'd not known why she'd instinctively cringed whenever she'd seen a needle. Just figured it for a normal reaction. But she'd been wrong. Stefan had been kidnapping her over and over, taking more and more blood, then leaving her at her house, afraid, confused and broken... Compelling her to forget, then repeating the process.

She just spilled out everything to the raptor, gasping for breath, panting, falling silent for a few minutes every now and again. The raptor just listened. There was no interruption. There was no voice breaking in telling her that she'd just dreamt it all or it wasn't what it looked like. There was just a deep silence and an ear that listened, eyes that somehow seemed to understand what she was going through.

"But if he's got nothing to fear from me, why would he say Klaus wasn't behind it?" She asked, looking deep into the raptor's eyes. They were wide and angry, as if he could understand everything she was saying perfectly. "If Klaus isn't behind it, then he's doing it... He's doing it because he wants to. But why would he? What could he gain from getting my blood?"

Then she thought of Damon, who had seemed a little bit antsy whenever they were both in the same room. She'd figured maybe it was just because they both loved her and he was a bit jealous and protective, but... "Does Damon know?" She asked herself aloud. "Does Damon know what Stefan's doing?"

Then she remembered how he'd started teaching her how to fight. She'd found him so irritating that she hadn't taken it seriously – it had felt like he'd been flirting with her more than trying to teach her – but now he understood what he'd been doing. He'd tried to teach her how to defend herself, so that she didn't have to be the victim that she always seemed to be. It had almost worked, but obviously it hadn't. Not completely.

Elena cried until she ran out of tears and her head felt fuzzy from the shame. Then, to her surprise, the raptor sidled up to her and started cooing quietly, as if to try and soothe her. As if she was his chick and he was trying to chase away her problems. Confident that the bird wouldn't hurt her, she reached out and gently touched her fingers against his side, stroking the soft, long feathers.

Elena stood at 5'7 and this bird was massive. From head to tail feathers it was at least 4'5, with a wing span of nine. He didn't seem to mind as she touched his body, feeling the strong ridges of his wing bones. She even dared to extend his closest wing out completely and she was amazed with how big he was. His feathers were so long...

"You're beautiful," she whispered, gliding her fingers across the underside of his primaries.

His grey beak was deathly and the point could puncture a lorry tyre with hardly any effort. His talons were sharper than bayonets and she swore it could tear the wing from a jet plane given enough time and effort. The back of his throat was fluffy with oak-hued down and she wanted to touch it, but felt it would be a bad idea. The raptor had tiny specks of snow atop his head and some of his feathers were charcoal mingled with a luxurious chocolate brown. He had two white patches at the 'shoulders' of his wings that signalled the start of the limbs.

Wiping away the remnants of her tears, Elena found herself transfixed on the bird. "It must be fun flying here at the ocean, huh?" The raptor locked eyes with her as she spoke. Somehow it wasn't as intimidating as when she'd first seen the bird. "I mean with all the fish and water to play in... The sun must be really warm, too. I wish I could fly... It'd be a lot better rather than if I were confined to land all of the time. I bet it would be a good release..."

The raptor clicked his beak, as if to say, 'yes'.

"And the freedom," Elena breathed, running her finger down its chest. "Nobody to hunt you." Klaus. "Nobody to try and control you." Stefan. Damon. Klaus. "Nothing to try and eat you." Vampires in general. Elena hissed a quiet laugh and stroked along his folded wing. "And no work. I remember I used to hate doing my homework and exams. Now I think I'd prefer it over any of this."

As she rubbed along his shoulder again, the feathers parted and she caught a slight flash of light from beneath the brown and black shield. It was silver – a chain? Carefully she dug her finger underneath the copse of sleek, regal feathers and tugged it loose from it's nest.

It was a chain. A thick, lone chain around his neck, almost like a necklace. It was tied with a hook threaded through a loop rather than a catch. She pulled it out, feeling his eyes pierce through her body as she slowly removed it from its hiding place. At the base, resting over his chest, there was some kind of flat, hard oval object. It was flat but seemed to be lined with rubber.

"Dogtags?" She blinked. However as she tried to remove it fully to see what it read, the raptor gave her a sharp warning nip and edged away, head low as if to say,

Don't.

Elena blushed and lifted both hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Sorry," she murmured.

The raptor glanced back towards the house sharply and then took off. Elena was about to call out to him to stop when a soft voice came from inside.

"Elena?"

It was Elijah.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Sumatra found himself staring up at the night sky. Not even when Aura noisily padded through the gorse and rubbed her flank against him did he look down. The stars were shining, tiny little specks of silver in the vast expanse of nothingness. The white sock on his left foreleg stuck out like an albino crocodile in a swamp full of mud.

"Sumatra?" Aura sniffed along his shoulder and throat, pawing at his chest to snap him out of his thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Sumatra breathed. "Just... It's getting close, isn't it?"

"Hm?"

"Soon our herd will gather," he whickered quietly. "They will run across the land. Fly. Swim. There will be a battle like no other, and one side will lose." The bronze stallion shook his head wistfully. Then he grinned. "This is going to be awesome."

Aura snorted and swatted at his branch of a neck. "I thought you were going to tell me you were scared."

"Scared? Me?" Huffed the horse, rolling onto his back and splaying his four long, spidery legs into the air. "The only time those two should be used together with with 'not'."

"Right." Aura muttered. Settling down beside Sumatra, she rested her head on thick paws and curled her tail around her.

After a long moment of silence, Sumatra twisted, bent his legs and rolled onto his belly again with his legs slightly to his left. "Aura?"

"Hm?"

"Something wrong?"

The tawny spotted she-cat shook her head. "No. I just hope we don't let him down."

"Soon everything will be out in the open," Sumatra muttered. "Or at least in our world. It's going to feel strange fighting beside so many different warriors."

There was a rustling in the bushes behind them. A dark brown shape heaved himself through the thistles, fur so thick he didn't feel a thing. Aura rose to her paws, followed by Sumatra, and approached the grizzly bear. His expression was dark, and she sat down on her haunches as she drew near enough.

"The winged one has sent me with a message." He grumbled.

"Is it time?" She asked.

His gaze sweeping across the copper stallion and the golden Lijagulep, the bear nodded slowly.

"We're at war."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have been listening, but there are some things I can't help but overhear." Elijah murmured quietly. At Elena's stunned expression, he added quickly, "I checked. Philip is asleep. Duncan's having a bath and Bonnie's in bed."

Elena sighed in resignation and leaned against the wooden barrier. "I guess you want to talk to me about everything I just said then, right?"

"Only if you want to," Elijah replied.

Elena cast him a perplexed look.

Elijah shrugged. He copied her stance, leaning on the banister on his elbows, his dark brown eyes soft and half-lidded. "It's your business, not mine. Whatever is going on between you and Stefan Salvatore... If you want to talk about it, I'll listen, but you don't have to."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Elena muttered. Elijah simply nodded and gazed out across the ocean. A few minutes passed and finally Elena asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This," Elena motioned to the house with one hand and watched for a change in his expression. "Giving us a home here, teaching us CPR, giving us money..."

Elijah looked back towards the house. "Klaus is after you. I'm simply carrying out my promise to you."

"Promise?" Asked Elena.

"Yes." Elijah murmured.

Another brief silence. "Can we go down onto the beach?" Asked Elena. "I need to... Walk around, get some fresh air..."

"Of course," Elijah murmured.

The two walked down the steep path and onto the beach. Elena removed her shoes and hid them under a rocky ledge, stepping onto the cold sand barefooted. It melted beneath her weight and cushioned her feet with each step she took.

Right now she was dressed in a pair of black silk trousers that rippled like diamond beneath the light and a loose dusk blue T-shirt that hung down past her rear. Elijah wore black khakis and an emerald absolon shirt with the first two buttons undone revealing tempered muscles and a strong collar bone. They walked for about a minute in silence.

"What promise?"

"Do nothing. Live your life, stop fighting, and then, when the time is right, you and I shall draw Klaus out and I make sure your friends remain unharmed."

"Then you kill him," Elena finished, as if the memory was still fresh on her mind. "I wasn't aware that deal was still going..."

"I make a deal, I keep a deal." Murmured Elijah coolly. "Klaus isn't dead therefore my word still stands."

Elena flicked through their past, remembering everything that had happened. "But that deal... We went through it once... You broke your word. You let Klaus go..."

"If I hadn't, I'd have broken my word to you," Elijah informed her.

"What?" She stopped on the sand. "What do you mean? We agreed that you would kill Klaus. That was our deal."

"Our deal was that you help me kill Klaus and I keep your friends safe," Elijah corrected. "You were safe with the, uh... Vampire blood in your system. Had I killed Niklaus, several of your friends would have been taken down with him in the bloodline link."

Elena froze. "Like Finn..." She whispered. Realising her words, she backed away, "I'm sorry, I, uh..."

"It's fine," Elijah shrugged, though from the way he glanced in another direction and started walking again, she knew it wasn't.

Elena hadn't realised that their deal had still been running. "But how do you expect to kill him now? He's got an army behind him... You can't kill him without killing Stefan and Damon, Tyler, Caroline..."

"I've found a way around that," replied the original. "Which is part of what we've been searching for."

Elena thought she'd heard wrong. There was a way to kill Klaus without killing her friends? "But that's impossible..."

"So should the second hybrid, but it exists."

The doppelgänger stiffened. "You know about the second hybrid?"

"Yes," Elijah said. "It is as I said, there are some things I can't help but overhear. I have known about the existence of the second hybrid for some time now, but it has never been relevant until about two hundred years ago, when I started to plan this whole... Hmmm... Mutiny."

"It's going to start soon, isn't it?" Elena whispered. Her voice merged slightly with the wind. "There's going to be a battle."

"A very nasty one," Elijah murmured.

Somehow Elena felt ready. She was fed up with being told what to do, fed up with running and being treated like useless baggage to be carried around. She wanted to stand up on her own two feet and fend for herself. She wanted to learn how to fight and to protect her friends and family, and to prove to herself over all that she was _not_ just something to be looked down upon.

"I want to fight." She blurted out before she could have stopped herself even if she wanted to. Elijah stared at her in surprise, quirking his head in that cute way she'd come to admire. She hadn't even realised it before now, but now, standing underneath the moonlight with nothing but sand and sea, she realised just how handsome he was.

She half expected him to say "no", but instead he remained silent, gazing at her thoughtfully. When he did speak, it was just a single, simple, curious "Why?" He made no attempt to stop her. It was almost as if he wanted to test her resolve – to make sure she was wanting to do what she wanted, not what anyone else did.

Taking a rapid breath, Elena stared levelly at him. "I'm tired of being everyone's puppet... Just something to control and boss around." Elijah knew by this, she was referring to the Salvatore brothers. "I want to learn how to stand up for myself. I don't want to have bodyguards following me around every time I leave the house or... Or eyes staring at me when I take a step without being told to." Caroline and Bonnie. "A life like that... There's no..." She bit the inside of her lip and grimaced, shaking her head. Then her mind flashed back to an image – the raptor, and she said, "There's no freedom. There's no power in it. There's just a little, helpless girl, not an independent woman."

"It's your life, you decide what you want to do with it?" He asked.

Elena nodded.

Elijah pursed his lips, as if he were biting it, and glanced down. Her words were true and threaded from the heart. There was conviction behind them; desperation. He could hear deep within her voice, there was a young lion crying, wanting to be released. It wanted to be freed to join the rest of the pride, not kept alone in the dark.

And her eyes. They burned with fierce determination.

She didn't want to be the victim.

"Fine," he said. "If that's what you want."

Elena seemed briefly angry, then confused. "Fine? You're... You're not going to try and stop me?"

Elijah turned his head slightly to the left in a half-nod. "No. You're intelligent enough to make your own decisions. You don't need someone there to clear the path for you in case you stumble on a rock or get your foot stuck in a hole. In my opinion you've seen a lot more than anyone should in their human lifetime. It's about time you _did_ stand up for yourself."

Elena stared at the original as he spoke, wide-eyed and, for once in her life, completely taken aback. It was like he'd been waiting for her to say that.

Elijah glanced out across the sea. "I won't lie to you. What you've seen already will pale in comparison with what will happen in a few days time. You'll learn more than you ever have in Mystic Falls, travel more than normal human in the span of a month, and get into quite a lot of danger. Are you ready for that?"

There was a growing sense of excitement in Elena's body, like a sudden, unexplainable adrenaline rush. Her eyes seemed to glow silver in the light and she nodded. "I am," she said, almost as if it were a vow.

Elijah looked over to her, noting her joy, and smirked slightly. "Then I have a test for you."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena stood at the base of the slippery rocks, surrounded by a semi-circle of rocks that stretched back about ten feet all around her. She was directly to the left of the house, opposite to the beach, standing a few thousand feet below the forest.

Elijah was stood with her, shirtless, gazing into the water. The spray of the tide crashing into the rocks had showered him, but he didn't seem affected by it. "If you truly want to tread this path – you're not afraid and you have no doubts – then Atlantis will rise out of the waves, and you may ride him."

"And if not?" Elena asked, glancing sidewards at him.

Elijah tilted his head. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"You like using sayings, don't you?" Elena said, causing a bright, amused spark to appear in Elijah's eyes. "You're using them a lot more now. I didn't notice it before."

"Probably because you were too busy trying to kill me. I was thinking more about trying not to get caught," he purred, shaking off Elena's guilty smile. "Look into the water."

She stepped forward and knelt down as Elijah backed up. "Atlantis has the ability to sense those with pure hearts, who have enough conviction to tread through even the darkest waters. If he comes to you here, it means you truly believe your heart."

Elena steeled herself and inched even closer to the water. It was deep, even here, and it was so dark that she wasn't sure if there was even any land beneath it. She was there for maybe five minutes before a shape shot out from beneath her and circled around in the water.

Atlantis leapt out of the water, splashing her, and let out a content whistle. The sleek-bodied bottle-nose dolphin stared at her, and she felt her heartbeat escalate with tension. Atlantis simply gazed into her eyes, sparking with curiosity.

"Does this mean...?"

"No," Elijah said. "The fact that he's here means he acknowledges you have spirit. He needs to approach you and accept you as a rider."

"A rider?"

"Sh!"

Atlantis let out a whistle and did a flip in the water before resurfacing, tail keeping him afloat. A short jet of water sprayed out from his blowhole and clicked in his own native tongue for a few moments.

Then he approached, rolling over and splashing her playfully with his tail. He came up close to the rocks, battered by the gentle waves and touched his nose to her hand.

Elena gasped and shuddered with joy. She'd done it!

Elijah purred from behind her. Then he stepped forward, offering her his hand. "He'll let you swim with him if you wish," he murmured. "Would you like to?"

Elena didn't care how cold the water was until Elijah lowered her into it. Atlantis drew up beside her like a living missile and clicked. As Elijah showed her how to hold onto the gorgeous amphibian, she swear she could see a grin on the dolphin's face.

When she'd got a good grip on him, Atlantis swam forward in a calm circle. Elena was both stunned and in awe by the powerful dolphin's gentleness, and how carefully he moved in the water. He was so graceful, it was like watching a dancer leap across the stage and twirl. It was like watching a tranquil lily drift in a calm lake, weaving amongst the reflections of the most beautiful purple roses.

She forgot to breathe for a moment, and was brought back to her senses when she realised that Elijah had slipped into the water with them and rested his hand upon Atlantis's back. "Amazing, isn't he?" His voice was so quiet but so clear. Atlantis seemed to nod enthusiastically, splashing them both with water.

Elena was still reeling from the experience, even though it wasn't over. "I've never swam with a dolphin before," she confessed. "It's so..." She shook her head. There were no words.

"You must be cold," he murmured. Elijah clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and Atlantis started to swim around the cliff and towards the sand of the beach. As they did, Elena was gently nudged aside onto Atlantis's other side. "The water here is strong. It can smash you against the rocks if you're not careful," he explained.

When they got to the shore, Atlantis let them both stand up in the shallow water. Then he swam off, letting out a joyous laugh from the water as he leapt out and did a quick twist. He fell onto his back and vanished amongst the rocks.

"He'll be back soon," said Elijah, passing her a towel to dry off. It was only then that Elena realised the sun was starting to rise. They'd been out all night. The exhaustion hit her fast and hard with the realisation, and before she knew it she was being helped into her own bed, where she immediately fell asleep.


	15. Set Into Motion

When Bonnie awoke from her rest, it was to a soft knocking sound at her door. When she opened it to see who was there, it was Duncan, who had a pillow pressed against his chest.

"Elijah wants to speak with you in the den," he yawned and hobbled away.

Bonnie watched him leave, suddenly feeling quite fidgety. The last time the two had spoken privately it had been in the aftermath of a spell that she'd used to read his mind. He'd not been too pleased about that, and Philip had been shooting her very annoyed looks from time to time.

She just hoped he didn't still have bad feelings over that.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Spread your legs a bit more. Your stance is very well balanced," Elijah said, swinging his arm around in a slow motion punch so that Elena could catch his fist in her hand. When Elena pushed against his wrist again, he increased his upper body strength until her arm started to shake. "That's better. Now I want you to practice this next move while I speak with Bonnie. Do you need any more help?"

"I can manage it," Elena voiced with determination. She'd already learned some basic moves from Damon – this was pretty much revision for her.

As he'd shown her, as he backed away one step, she bowed at him. Elijah gave her an approving nod and glided noiselessly out of the room.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Meredith Fell glanced up at Doctor Sloan, who in turn looked aside to Damon Salvatore as the three led the operation. Damon was no expert in surgery but he'd wanted to come into the operation room and make sure everything went smoothly. However, Meredith could see his control being tested to the limits as she carved through Alaric's skin and watched the blood flow free. She was anxious that he might lose it and wind up biting into someone.

Doctor Sloan stepped away from the table and moved to check the readings on the heart monitor. Tension was thick in the air and it was palpable; she could almost taste it through the sweat running down her forehead and into her mouth, salty like sea water.

A young male nurse moved forward and gently wiped away the sweat from her brow. They didn't want it to fall onto the patient.

"Suction," Meredith ordered, feeling her confidence waver as she saw the line of bone. "We're going to have to put the shunt in to drain the fluid. Sloan, what have you got?"

"A ventriculo-pleural shunt," Sloan replied, pulling the object out of the tray. He carefully moved the thin, plastic tube to present it to his friend. To Damon, he added, "It will drain the CSF fluids – the excess cerebral-spinal fluid – out of the patient's skull and deposit it into his stomach. Hopefully it shouldn't need to be in for long."

"Looks fun," Damon commented dryly, though Meredith could see a shiver run up his arms as he held the oxygen mask in place against Alaric's face. "Well then, let's get to work."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The large auburn raptor settled in the branches of the tree beside the large no-wing nest, waiting for his crow-friend to come out. Even the wind was sleepy, he noted, as he settled his head down to catch a wink of sleep. He must have been out for about five minutes when he heard someone walking out of the entrance to the hospital, and realised that it was Tyler Lockwood and Caroline Forbes, two of Damon's flock.

He watched them carefully as they got into a car and drove away, committing the strange markings on the back of the car to memory before he kicked off from the branch he was sitting on and soared high up into the sky, intent on trailing them.

He had business with them.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

x . a few hours earlier . x

Elijah heard the oncoming footsteps long before the Bennett witch arrived. As she shut the door behind her, the original blinked.. "Please, sit," murmured Elijah, gazing thoughtfully at a book with his finger brushing against his bottom lip slightly. When he heard soft cotton shift, he swung around and sat down.

"I guess you're wondering why I called you here," he said.

Bonnie's heard fluttered in her chest, Elijah noted. "Look," her voice was urgent, "If you're still mad at me about that whole mind reading thing, I-"

Elijah shook his head and waved away her apology, as if he hadn't got the slightest bit of interest in hearing it. "It's fine," he said. "I asked Duncan to call you here so that I may carry out the first step of my plan." At Bonnie's guarded but curious look, he lifted his chin and folded one leg over the other, clasping his hands together. "Klaus has been looking for you. I want you to go back to Mystic Falls... No, to Georgia."

Bonnie stared at him as if he had lost it. Elijah couldn't help but find her face slightly amusing.

"But he wants to kill me!" She protested.

Elijah smirked. "He needs Elena," the original vampire pointed out reasonably. "I'm going to ask you to let me compel you. Let me compel you to tell him that Elena was kidnapped by Alaric and your memory is 'fuzzy' about what happened and where you've been. An original vampire cannot override another original's compulsion. You will be his only link to 'find Elena', therefore he will not harm you."

The Bennett witch seemed to consider it. Elijah knew that she was loyal to Elena and would do anything to keep her safe. But there was a flicker of distrust in her almond eyes. "How do I know you won't compel me to do anything else?" She demanded.

"Do you trust Duncan and Elena?"

"...Yes."

Elijah nodded. "I will compel you in front of them, and I'll ask Duncan to record it, just in case you don't believe them."

"You can compel Duncan," Bonnie pointed out.

Elijah felt a simmer of fury rise in his chest. "As if I would do such a thing to my own charge!" He spat, brow furrowing. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and averted his smouldering eyes. "I could have compelled you already but I'm giving you a choice. If you don't agree I'll simply have to find another way to distract Niklaus and keep him from discovering the truth, but time is running out." He looked back to Bonnie pointedly. "Do I have your co-operation?"

Bonnie stared at him. Her dark eyes were glimmering with defiance but she knew that she was beat. Still she couldn't trust him. She didn't know what he would do. He'd been civil to them so far, letting them stay, and he had been a charming, patient and tolerant man to put up with her after she'd forced herself into his mind like that when he was vulnerable. He had reason not to trust her, she knew, and he was doing this for reasons he couldn't comprehend.

Elijah stood up and walked back over to a journal on the table which he'd been reading from time to time in the den. The den was a study that anyone could enter at any time, just for peace, or a place to work or relax. It wasn't as big as the library, nor did it have as many books or shelves, but it had a massive, luxurious U-shaped sofa that was big enough to fit about eight people comfortable with a table on each side. The television was in that room was large, hooked up onto the wall.

Bonnie watched him carefully. He simply picked up the book, flicked back through a few pages and glanced through the pages as if searching for something. There was no air of malice or deceit about him. There was no tension, no lingering grudge that she could detect. He was perfectly calm, perfectly reasonable.

She stood up and walked over to him, trying to sneak a glance at the book he was reading. It appeared to be an old journal, but filled with words in a different language that she couldn't understand. It was like seeing a book from a whole new world, with pictures and scriptures that only looked like random markings on a piece of paper. Yet he could understand them. She didn't understand them, nor did she understand him.

For a moment she gazed at her feet. Then she nodded, as if clearing away some doubt. "Fine," she said. "Fine. I'll do it. Elena trusts you, and..." She sighed, shrugging. "I guess I can trust her. But I want to know something." Elijah turned back to look at her.

"Can I trust _you? _How can I be sure you're doing what you say you are? Give me something – anything – just some solid proof that I'm not making a bad choice here."

"Anything?"

"Anything," Bonnie reiterated firmly.

Elijah seemed to pause, as if contemplating something. Then he nodded and took a step forward. Taking a gentle hold of her hand, he lifted it up to rest on the temple of his head, staring deep into her eyes. She knew what he was doing. He was about to show her one of his memories.

"Here's your proof."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

By the time the Wedge-tailed Eagle saw the no-wing leaving the massive nest, it was a few hours past midday. He still had much to do and he was running out of time. When the long, stone grey river had cleared of vehicles, he poked his head out of the oak tree and let out a sharp shriek.

Damon's ears twitched. His blue eyes shot around and he stared up at the tree in alarm, then surprise, then concern. In a flash he'd vanished, out of sight of the CCTV cameras. Then, in a flurry of jet mist, he'd become the crow and flapped his wings to carry himself up into the air.

The Eagle chased him up, dropping down on him from above. Clicking his sharp beak, he led the tiny bird to a secluded spot in the forest and landed.

The crow strutted up to him, his eyes dark. "You've never come to find me before," he chirruped. "Is something wrong?"

The Wedge-tailed Eagle nodded and folded his legs beneath him. "Sit." When the crow had done so, he clicked his beak again as if to keep himself out of his thoughts. "Fledgeling, over the countless seasons that we have known each other, I have never once asked anything of you. It is time that I broke that stream. I need your help."

The crow tensed. "What do you need? Is someone threatening your territory?"

"No," the raptor said. "And yes. Listen carefully to what I have to chirrup, my friend..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

x . a few hours earlier . x

Kol was at another concert, most likely blowing his ear drums out, or at least that's what Klaus thought. Rebekah sighed as she watched her brother pace about the room, anxious, angry, restless. He hadn't stopped doing that for an hour and it was starting to grate on her nerves. But as she opened her mouth to ask him, in a rather impolite manner, to stop, her phone rang.

She pulled it out of her pocket and stared at the flashing screen. The word 'Elijah' was blinking on and off. With an inarticulate mutter she pressed the button to activate the speakers and was immediately greeted with a loud, startling, distant crash. Klaus jumped straight out of his forehead brooding state and stared at her as if for an explanation. Rebekah looked at her phone incredulously, as if it had grown a head and started laughing at her.

There was a furious snarl from the other side of the phone, then the sound of glass smashing. "Rebekah! Ca- _zzzz _-hear me? Rebekah!"

"Brother?" She shouted back over the thunder of explosions and crashes. "Brother, what's happening?"

"Esther- _ksshhhhhhh_ -attacking- _smash! -_too many- _boom! -_need help- Aaaargh!"

Klaus's eyes were wide with horror. "Esther..."

There was a moment of rest between the silence following a loud slamming noise, like a table overturning. Elijah's voice became louder, but only for a moment. "She's after Klaus! There are at least- _Agh!_ Fifteen witches but I can't- _snap! Ksssssshhhhhh -_Bring Kol and help me! Keep Niklaus as far away as possible- _Ksshhhhhhh!_"

"Elijah? Where are you?"

"I'm at the-" There was an ear-splitting wail of agony, and then the sound of scorching flames. The phone cut off and they were plunged into an eerie, stunned silence.

"Elijah..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

With the drain now in place, Meredith breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the chair. Burying her head in her hands, she listened to the heart monitors as they guarded the patient. She was about to call Damon to let him know about their success – he'd left early because of his urges to feed – but was stopped as Sloan stepped into the room, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You should shower," he said. "I don't want to see you in here for another few hours, Merry."

"But-"

"No buts," Sloan warned, giving her a stern look. "You've taken care of your patient, Merry. Now you need to take care of yourself. I'll watch him while you shower, and then I want you to sleep. I'll assign someone to watch him."

Meredith looked at him in surprise, then sighed and nodded in resignation. After all of this, she was exhausted. It was a wonder she hadn't fallen asleep on her feet. "Alright, I'll go," she murmured. "But you'll call me if there's any change?"

Sloan gave a sly grin of his. "Obviously," he drawled. "Now off with you. If I catch you in here I'm giving you a brain transplant – see if I can't work some sense into you."

Meredith snorted and stalked out of the room. "You're intolerable." She muttered.

"You'd be lost without me." Sloan corrected. "And you know it."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Sumatra galloped long and hard across the land, his mane whipping back and forth and hooves echoing like the beginning of a landslide. Now it was time. Now it was beginning.

Thunder rumbled from his stampede as he moved from one field to the next. Copper fur glistened beneath the sunlight, a shimmering pool of liquid rust. The stallion's stamina was incredible as he ran, mile after mile, without stopping.

He would head towards the great river where the water stretched for many leaps, and he would race the winds that the great eagle soared. He would challenge his domain with the freedom of the wind itself, untameable, unchallengeable, untouchable. Hopefully when he got there, he would be able to bask on the soft golden sand to relax. That was one of the goals he was aiming for. He had every intention of carrying out his first task – the first hoof forward – where he could aid those who he held dearest to him.

And he would succeed.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

_9th April, 1912_

_100 years ago_

_Philip Shora gazed out excitedly across the animated ocean, watching the navy waves bustle and coil against each other. It was almost as if they were waving to him, and soon enough he found himself laughing and waving back. It was awesome. Standing out in front of the sea with nothing but the glittering surface of diamond on water and the ocean stretched out for miles... It was hard to believe._

_The nine year old darted across the docks, swung himself under the safety railing very close to the billowing waves and weaved his way around the sailors, back to his parents. He had on a lopsided white hat that one of the sailors had given him earlier that day as a keepsake, and as they saw him coming, his mother smiled adoringly. With curly willow locks as brilliant as airbrushed gold, pale skin softer than the brush of a butterfly's wing and bright, beaming eyes like staring into the essence of an emerald, the spirited woman planted a kiss against his forehead and swung him around in a neat circle. Philip whooped in delight and grinned up at her as she placed him down on the ground._

"_There you are, child," she murmured softly. "Come. We have much to prepare." Philip smiled up at his father, who was stunningly handsome with hair darker than charcoal, bright blue eyes and house of facial hair trimmed over his chin. He wielded a few scars from his youth but they only made him look braver._

"_My son," purred the man silkily. "You'll make a fine sailor one day."_

"_Nuh-uh, dad!" Squeaked the boy, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. "I told you! I want to be a..."_

Philip jolted awake in an instant, hearing dull whispers in his sharp, attuned ears. He shuddered and drew the blanket closer over him, looking around only briefly before he caught sight of a lone figure veiled in the shaded corner of his room. He didn't need to ask to know who it was.

"Uncle Eli, I'm sorry if I disturbed you," mumbled the boy guiltily, wiping at his sleepy eyes.

Elijah stepped out carefully, his voice and stance guarded. "You've been having those dreams a lot recently. You know you can always ask me to guide your dreams somewhere pleasant."

Philip stared at the bumps in the dark blue cloth that signalled his feet. Almost all of his room was a deep, oceanic blue. He loved the colour, and loved the night sky as well. Then he shrugged.

Elijah could see his head low and leaf green eyes reflecting guilt. Stepping through deeper into the room and perching himself on Philip's bed, he rested his hand on the child's and squeezed gently. "Philip, it's not your fault. It's been one hundred years."

Philip choked on his breath and shielded his teary eyes behind a porcelain hand. "I thought after so long I'd have gotten over it," he confessed. "All of it. But they're still there, haunting me. Everything still seems recent. Like it's only just happened."

"Dreams are a reflection of our hopes and fears. You're scared of it happening again, but you're also missing your parents. Your mother and father... I may be here, and I may be your guardian, but I'm not those you once held dear, child." Elijah pulled the shaking boy closer against him and gazed down with soft eyes. "You've held it inside for too long. We haven't spoken of our past because you've not felt comfortable with it and I didn't want to pressure you, but perhaps its time to get everything out in the open – to speak about it, share our thoughts and just take a few moments to reflect. Maybe its time we faced the past."

Philip stared absently at the royal blue carpet, his eyes half-mast. The thought didn't appeal to him. He didn't want to face the past – it was still too early. Too soon. But then, he had to ask himself if he would ever feel ready. One hundred years was a long time.

"Not just yet," he murmured. "I'd rather have something to drink and just settle down first... If that's okay."

"Of course it is," Elijah murmured, rubbing soothing circles on Philip's back. "Tomorrow we can talk. For now, how about we get a warm cup of cocoa?"

Philip brightened up at that idea and nodded. The two raced each other silently down to the kitchen and put on the kettle. Elijah allowed the child vampire to beat him, smirking as he picked out some marshmallows from the cupboard. Overall the kitchen was white with marble worktops and pull-out cupboards, a fridge, freezer and other basic items.

Philip immediately delved into his special treat cupboard after flicking on the stove to heat up the milk. He pulled out some small gum balls and flashed the packet at his guardian, who shrugged and took some marshmallows for himself.

"You first," teased the original, feigning boredom as he stepped up to make the drinks. Once the milk was ready, he let Philip take over, because he knew that it would provide a nice distraction. That and he knew the boy was eager to make his own drink.

Philip created the drink just how he liked it. Three quarters of the large cup was filled with hot chocolate. Half of what was left was a thick covering of whipped cream with a smiling face of different coloured gum balls. There was a square of milk chocolate melting in the middle and strawberry sprinkles that were neon against the frothing foam.

Elijah sat down with his own. It was a simple hot chocolate with more milk than cocoa, making it creamy and like liquid silk on his tongue. He had a single marshmallow on the top and was light in colour.

"It's a wonder your fangs don't rot," he mumbled half heartedly as he watched the young vampire drink, crunch into the gum balls and look up at him with a beard worthy of Santa himself. "You eat how many jaw breakers a day?"

The emerald-eyed boy grinned, flashing one of his long vampire canines, and flicked his tongue over it. "I lose count after twenty," he shrugged. "But they're just so much fun! You should try one."

"Ah, but my jaws are much stronger than yours," Elijah pointed out coolly. "Maybe some steel jawbreakers would work better with me."

"What about a marble?" Inquired Philip. "They're really hard."

Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Are you trying to test my strength?"

"No," Philip smiled. "Just figure out something new that we can do together."

Elijah quirked his head in interest. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Well, maybe you can help me teach Elena some fighting moves. I know you catch onto things quicker than Duncan does."

Philip beamed. "Well, I guess I could. But I'd be no real substitute for you. You're nearing your black belt."

"Ah, yes. But I've been neglecting my training. I did get very close to getting my black belt but I never got the chance to obtain it. I was called away."

Philip smiled. "You'd get to that in hours," he claimed. "I'd wager all of my secret stash of jawbreakers on it."

"Secret stash?" Elijah echoed suspiciously.

Philip blanched. Thinking fast, he asked rapidly, "So why don't we teach Elena our fighting style? The one for fighting supernatural beings."

Elijah glanced away. "For that she needs discipline and training, Philip. It would be unwise to teach her those moves when we cannot fully hold her trust. They're dangerous."

"She could use them against us," Philip finished, nodding. He ran a hand through his charcoal hair and chewed on the bubble gum from the hot chocolate. "Okay. Maybe just settle for karate. But didn't you say that some others were coming tomorrow?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded, pursing his lips. "I have to figure out a way to get them all here."

"Who's coming?"

"Just a few friends." Elijah smiled. "And my family, of course. You'll get to meet them."

Philip grinned. "Great. I look forward to meeting them."


	16. Wrath of Kol

"Klaus?"

"What? I'm busy. I can't take calls from anyone at the moment."

"Then why did you pick up?" Pause. "Anyway, I've got some juicy news for you. The Bennett witch has been found in Georgia, quite literally half dead. She's at the very edge of Atlanta. The Salvatore brothers are heading there to pick her up."

Pause. "Well, I'll just have to make sure they don't get that far. Thank you, Tyler."

"It's nothing. I'd come with you but I have to go. My mom's sister is dying and she really wants family around her. Good luck in finding Bonnie, and... Please don't hurt her."

_Click!_

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Kol stared towards the cockpit from his seat. Ugh, this was frustrating! Being crammed up inside the plane for hours, he'd been bored out of his mind. It was boring. Fucking boring. So boring it was boring with a capital Fucking and so boring that he could think, for an hour, of how stupidly tedious it really was.

He was on his way to Dublin to meet up with Elijah and Rebekah. Well, he'd meet up with Rebekah first, then they'd find their eldest brother. What kept him from leaping out of the plane was the fact that he was needed, and that he'd get to meet two little guys that apparently meant so much to Elijah that he'd made them his wards. That meant family, and even though Kol despised part of his family, he was confident that he'd love his new little friends.

Apparently one of them was like him, except to a littler scale. Not violent, but loved to mess about a bit when he wanted to. Kol intended on changing that.

Kol's motto was 'All work and no play means someone needs to kill themselves'. Or something along that line, he really couldn't be bothered to remember. It might have been, 'You can work any time you want, but it's always time for play'. Really though he strayed towards the first one.

Oh yes. Kol intended on making him have fun _all_ of the time.

A few more minutes into the trip and the original vampire was hearing voices a few rows behind him. Familiar voices, ones that were oblivious to his presence. Damon Salvatore, Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood.

As much as Kol wanted to let them know he was there, just to stir up some shit on the aeroplane, he found himself remembering what had started all of this in the first place.

Klaus.

_He was waking up, feeling stiffer than wood, his bones snapping and clicking like a hundred Mexican musicians playing the maracas at the same time. Something was being pressed against his face, keeping him from rising. It was nice and cool. For a few moments he relished in the soft motions as it wiped something off of his face, and then a powerful wave rippled down his body._

_He convulsed violently with a choked groan, clutching at the sheets beneath him. Flashes of memory flooded back to him – Klaus, a flash of silver, the burn of acid, then an uninviting blackness that consumed him, plunging him into a barren nothingness. Paralysis, the dull sense of floating, but being unable to move or to speak. Just think._

_No concept of night nor day. Timeless. Lightless. Cold. Torturing. Unforgiving. Empty, alone, confined._

_And as it went on and on and on, the growing thrashing of his primal instincts ravaged his paralysed body. Starvation. Anxiety. Claustrophobia. Fear. Death. A yanking so hard it would have stolen the breath away from the living. A cry so frustrated, petrified and alone that it would have woken the living dead._

_But then hope. A funnel of light; a bright north star shining in the distance, the flicker of movement in his stiff limbs._

_After a few painstakingly long moments, he... Painstaking. Kol felt a little bit of amusement at that. It had been a painstaking ordeal. He'd been staked. It had fucking hurt. Oh the irony._

_Then his eyes flicked open. Movement. Sound. Touch. Rebekah was already moving around, writhing, starving, blistering with rage that he could sense from across the room. The twitch and snarling of her loosening muscles told him that._

_Then Finn. Always watch out for the quiet ones, Kol had said, so many years he couldn't remember. God, he was so furious his entire body was refusing to loosen. His rage exploded from his body like standing in front of a firing cannon. His fuse was lit. It was only a matter of time._

_A fuzzy head grew clearer. Kol's eyes watered, stinging, dry, cracked. It took them a few moments to heal. His blood was dry. Then it was being pressed against his lips, squeezed into his maw, slithering down his throat. Someone else was in the room, too. A man with dark hair and icy eyes, dressed in black. No heartbeat. No life._

_Dressed in fucking black._

_An indescribable thirst for destruction and entertainment made Kol's eyes fill up with a scorchingly hot fury that not even the north pole could withstand. If he had been there it would have burned. Flooded the rest of the world in boiling blue magma. By god he wanted to raise hell. He wanted to flay whoever did this. He wanted to flay whoever had marred his sister's fluffy golden mane and tempered her steel eyes. Flay whoever had thrown his brother, Finn, into an exile that he, even now, was struggling to wake up from._

_His eyes blinked open again, fangs crunching down into a squishy bag of plastic, flooding his senses with ecstasy. There, standing above him with a look colder liquid nitrogen, with a face that defied time itself, was Elijah._

_There was a vicious chill escalating throughout his entire body. His blood was rushing through his body, but he still remained eerily calm and moved with a smoothness that Kol deemed unmatchable. As dark eyes met dark eyes, there was a momentary sense of peace, loyalty and relief, as well as warm love, but they flicked back within a split second._

"_Drink, brother," he murmured softly. "Drink all you need. I have plenty of blood for you all."_

_Kol looked around, gulping in as much blood as he could take. When it suddenly stopped flowing, Elijah had to coax his jaws to open before presenting him with another strange bag of blood. Kol sank his teeth into it immediately and began to suck and tear, drenching him in crimson, bathing him in scarlet, in life._

_They were in a pale blue room with doors sealed tight. There looked to be a mountain of the strange red bags atop the glossy oak table. The window cast sunlight into the room and Kol found himself craving the outside. He shot over to the window and stared outside, leaning as far out as he could, spreading his arms out with the bag still hanging in his jaws._

_Finn joined him and they both revelled in the touch of wind against their faces. The feel of the sun on their skin. The scent of..._

_Suddenly he recoiled, nose wrinkled. The air was rank and bitter. Finn hissed and whirled around, gazing expectantly at Elijah._

"_The world has changed in your absences," he murmured softly. "I fear you might never recognise it again. It is no longer beautiful. It has been corrupted."_

_Kol's mind spun and he stumbled for a moment, dazed. An arm curled around him and Rebekah was there, pulling him back onto a soft couch and feeding him more._

_He didn't know how much he drank. He just drank until he was so full that he felt he might burst at the touch of a pin prick. His skin had become healthy. His limbs rippled with Power. His eyes gleamed with menace._

"_Klaus," he whispered, suddenly remembering what had happened._

_That fucker was going to pay._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Damon, Caroline and Tyler were hours into their flight. It would take about another hour before they arrived at their destination. They were flying over the North Atlantic Ocean and they were tired.

He hadn't told Caroline or Tyler why he'd asked them to come with him. He'd actually been surprised at their co-operation. They seemed cautious and suspicious but they'd agreed nonetheless and he'd expected more of a challenge. Even he didn't completely know why he was here. The Wedge-tailed Eagle had requested his help. Ten years of helping Damon through his own troubles without asking for help himself meant that Damon owed him so much this didn't even scrape the surface.

It was nearing nine in the morning by the time the screech of tyres on the runway shook Damon from his slumber. They filed off of the plane and briefly stopped at a café to stretch their legs before the group of three stepped out into the streets of Dublin. As soon as they did, Caroline stretched in her pale green sweatshirt and rolled on the ball of her feet to loosen her back up a bit.

Tyler, dressed in a dark grey pair of trousers and a pale blue shirt, looked around curiously. This wasn't the first time he'd been abroad but it was the first time in a while.

Damon had on his usual black attire – a shirt, trousers and leather jacket. Sleek raven plumage atop his head shimmered under the soft light and for a moment he paused, staring at something, and turned. "Right, so we just have to wait for my friend to-"

"Well well, look at what the cat dragged in." The voice was familiar. It sent a chill down his spine – one that he immediately tried to suppress. Pivoting on his heel, he gave the original a sly smile.

"Kol," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"

Damon had no idea why Kol was there. His unease only grew when he saw a flicker of gold in the corner of his eye and Rebekah strutted over to them, dragging a large box.

"A little birdie told me I'd find you here," Kol sneered, sizing up the Salvatore. It wasn't his intention to fight but he could at least wind them up a bit.

At mention of the bird, Damon's chest swelled. He really didn't like this. "What?"

"Oh you know. About yay big, brown..." He illustrated the size of the raptor. "I see you've brought your friends too! Caroline and Tyler, is it?"

"Yeah," Tyler all but growled, stepping in front of Caroline defensively. His stance warned that he didn't want Kol anywhere near her but from the slight sag in his shoulders, it said he didn't want to fight either. The lycanthorpe side to him recognised him as the alpha but still wanted to present a challenge.

Kol brushed him off like dust on his shoulder and turned back to help Rebekah with the strange crate. "Now now, it's such a fine day! Let's not fight. Instead, lets talk about why we're here. Tell me, did you follow the bird?"

Damon stubbornly remained silent, glaring at his foe. Kol took that as a 'yes'.

Rebekah relinquished hold over the large chest she'd brought with her. "Calm down, Damon. We're here for the same reason you are. We're not going to fight you." She said bluntly. Her hard gaze travelled over the three tense vampires. "We're also here because we were called. So then, we should-"

"There!" Kol said sharply. Everyone spun to look into the tree. There was a large brown shadow amongst the branches, peering at them with dark sandy eyes.

The raptor called out to them and then flew off, heading deeper into the city. Kol heaved his sister's luggage onto his back and took off down the road after it. The others were hot on his heels, their eyes searching for the mighty raptor as it led them through streets, alleyways and even through a shopping mall at one point.

Then they lost sight of it as it rounded a corner. The group swung around it and almost crashed into two boys that stood at the window of a fish shop. They ran off down the road, ignoring the boys' howls to wait, until they ran into a dead end.

"Where'd it go?" Caroline asked.

Footsteps echoed behind them. The two boys from the shop cornered them. They turned and stared at the two with hostile and impatient eyes, but they didn't back down.

One of them looked to be nine, and the other seven. The nine year old had the brightest eyes they'd even seen on a human, and hair that resembled charcoal. The other had dark brown hair to match his chocolate skin and stood a little bit behind the pale boy.

The raven-haired child stepped forward. "Where do you think you're going?" He demanded. "You almost crashed into me!"

"Sorry, we were in a bit of a rush." Rebekah growled. "Have you seen a big bird?"

"Yeah," mumbled the dark boy quietly. "I'm looking at her."

Both Kol and the boy snorted with amusement. Rebekah huffed indignantly.

"Look at her chest." The cheeky boy continued. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Careful with your words," warned the pale boy. "But yes, it might be. He said they'd have a chest with them."

"Who are you?" Asked Tyler. "What are you on about?"

The pale boy smiled. "Follow the forest to the sea. You'll find what you're looking for there." Grabbing a hold of the younger boy's arm he ran back out of the alley. Caroline called out for them to wait, rushing out after them, but by the time she'd got to the empty street, they were gone.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The beautiful house was empty. Obviously someone lived there – there were various scents and noises from inside that said so, but for some reason they couldn't enter the house. It was as if a human owned it.

They skirted around the white stone and brick dream house and headed onto the beach, trying to get a better sense of what they were seeing. It truly was beautiful.

"Elijah's scent is all over this beach," Kol said. "It's his house alright. And I can smell Elena, too."

"Elena?" Damon repeated urgently. He lifted his nose and checked. Kol was right.

Caroline felt as though someone had punched her. She was breathless with relief. "You mean she's here?"

"Let's see if we can find someone to let us in." Said Rebekah, putting her chest down on the sand and pushing her hearing around to catch the sound of any life. There was the sound of laughter from further down the beach – a splash, then a cheer. She nodded in that direction, stuffed her luggage underneath an overhanging rock from the cliff and raced down the golden stretch of sand.

The dark boy they'd seen in the city was there, as was the pale child that had led them there. The pale boy was watching his friend as he performed some kind of magical spell.

Duncan formed a sphere of air beneath him and hopped onto it, floating a few feet off of the ground as he rolled over the earth, kicking up sand and moving quickly. He shot past the pale older boy, circled around with a loud whoop, then crashed into Kol's leg. He flipped back and landed on his face with a loud _Unh! _

Kol stared at the boy who'd hit him, the grinned and pulled him up onto his feet. "Nice moves you got there!"

Duncan looked at the gathering crowd of vampires and stared up at Kol, who crouched on one knee. "Thanks!"

"Who are you?" Philip asked. He stepped over to them and glanced towards Duncan, who was trying to hover on the ball of air again.

"I'm Rebekah, this is Kol, my brother." Said the youngest original. "Elijah is our brother."

Philip sized them up and then looked towards the other three.

Damon stepped forward. "Damon Salvatore," he said smoothly, reaching down a hand.

Philip tilted his head and then grabbed onto Damon's hand. But rather than shake it, he started to squeeze. Damon's cheery expression quickly turned to one of discomfort, then he gasped in pain. The others stared at him as if he had sprouted a second head.

"Philip Shora," purred the boy, letting go of Damon's hand. "Sorry, that's just my own friendly greeting towards other vampires. I like to test how strong people are. You're quite strong for a vampire of your age, I have to admit."

"You're a vampire?" Caroline asked, dumbstruck.

"I am," Philip replied, his Irish accent thick and velvety. "And you guys must be looking for Elijah. He's up there surfing with Wes. I'll take you to him if you'd like."

"Surfing?"

"Yeah."

Duncan grabbed a hold of Kol's arm and tugged, as if asking to be carried. Kol blinked at him in surprise and obliged, not really sure why the kid was being so... He couldn't think of a word for it.

"I'm Duncan Bennett," said the boy, his own accent prominent. "Warlock."

"You haven't reached the age of magical maturity," Rebekah squinted at him in confusion. "You're what, seven?"

"Add a -ty three on the end of that and you're right."

It took a moment to understand.

"You're seventy three?" Choked Tyler, staring at him in disbelief. "No way!"

"Yes way," Philip smiled. "And he's quite powerful as well. I'm a hundred and nine years old."

The group exchanged confused and bewildered looks as they were led down the beach. Suddenly the sound of an engine caught their ears and they saw Elijah on a few turbulent waves, dragging an exhilarated Wes along on the back of the jet ski. The word _Batmobile_ was written across its side.

Elijah kicked the ski into gear and shot over the waves, hauling the Australian lifeguard alone behind him. Then he broke away, letting Wes glide over the water on his surfboard. He was clearly skilled and when he hit the beach again they could see Elena swap places with Elijah in the middle of the surf. He clambered up onto another surfboard and shot across the waves, sharply swinging the board around to create a lovely spray.

His eyes caught onto the surprised group and he followed the waves in at his own pace. When his feet touched the bank, he dragged in his board and met up with Wes, who patted him on the back of the shoulder warmly.

"Great surf today, mate," he grinned. "Some beautiful waves. You caught a good one."

"So did you," Elijah chuckled. "You almost got knocked off your board that time."

"It ain't surfin' without the risks though. That's what makes it fun!" Wes glanced over his shoulder as the group drew close. "Philip! Duncan! Nice t' see you today."

"Can I ride the Batmobile?" Duncan asked hopefully.

Wes shrugged and smirked. "Race ya!"

Rebekah and Kol moved up to their drenched brother and patted his arms in greeting. Kol looked excited. "You have _got_ to teach me that!"

Elijah smirked slightly. "You tormenting people on land is bad enough, Kol. I don't want to let you out onto the water as well."

Kol snorted and gave Elijah a hearty shove. Elijah smiled at Rebekah and gave her arm a slight squeeze. The original was dressed in a wet suit and his hair was fluffy and sleek, sprinkled gently with sea water. The batmobile revved and Duncan shot off with Wes on the back of the board, heading towards the lifeguard tower.

Kol, now on the beach, threw himself onto the sand and rolled onto his back with a smile. "Ah, this feels awesome." He listened to the cheerful cries as Elena sprinted out of the water, onto the sand and grabbed her three friends into a hug.

But he listened as Elijah greeted his guests.

"You'll all be tired after your flight. Why don't you relax? I can tell you why you've been asked to come here later."

Philip, grinning toothily, lay down beside Kol. The original looked over at the smaller vampire, smirking. For now all Kol, Damon, Caroline, Tyler and Rebekah wanted to do was to relax.


	17. Plan Revealed, Allegiances Formed

A few hours after arriving, they were all gathered in the den. The soft, luxurious eight-seating U-shaped sofa managed to fit all eight of them comfortably, even though Elijah decided to remain standing. As expected, Duncan had bonded very well with them all and Philip, while still slightly cautious, had befriended them all quite quickly. They'd all been surprised at his maturity, but the fact that he still had child-like tendencies, and more so that children could be turned.

Now the time to reveal his plan had come. Elijah was feeling a bit tense, and he was uneasy that something was to go wrong. Kol cleared his throat and folded his legs, slouching slightly on the sofa with his arms spread across the back.

Elijah drew a breath.

"No doubt you're all wondering why you're here," he started. "It's time I told you, and asked for your assistance. But know that _nothing_ said here will go beyond this room. If anybody else hears about this plan, I will have no qualms about tearing hearts out. Is that understood?"

Silence nods from all. Elijah knew that they had yet to make their decisions, but curiosity would make them co-operate.

For now, at least.

"You know about the blood link between original vampires and normal ones. It is what has stopped you from killing Niklaus. I am here to tell you that there _is _a way to kill him without resulting in the deaths of other vampires, and that, with your co-operation, it can be done within the next two months."

"Wait," Damon piped up, looking quite confused. "So you want us to kill Klaus now? So why are Rebekah and Kol here? Don't you all want to stop us from killing him?"

"Why, because of our tie to family?" Rebekah sneered bitterly.

Kol's eyes crackled like whips of chained lightning. "That _cunt_ stabbed us, locked us away for god knows how long, betrayed us and caused the death of one of our own. He is not our brother. He is a godforsaken fu-"

"Traitor," Rebekah finished pointedly, glancing across towards her brother. "We have always wanted him dead. We've just never had the opportunity to do anything until now."

"But you had the chance. The hybrid ceremony. You could have killed him but you didn't." Caroline said.

Elena leaned forward slightly. "Elijah's deal with me was this: I would help him in any way I could to kill Klaus, and in return he would keep everyone I cared about safe. Had he carried out his word to me that night, you would all have died."

Elijah nodded solemnly. "When I make a deal, I keep a deal. There are no questions asked. It is only when someone else's word is broken that the deal is void."

Damon stared at the original curiously. "Go on then. So how are we going to kill Klaus?"

Kol and Rebekah stood up then and stepped over to their elder brother. There was a brief conversation in their eyes, then he nodded. Kol flicked on the television and gazed at the screen.

There was the prophecy Elena and Bonnie had seen.

"A thousand years ago a prophecy was seen by the prophet of Mystic Falls, the ancestor of the Bennett line, called Ayanna. She was an extremely powerful witch with the ability to communicate with the spirits of witches gone before. They spoke of a time, exactly one thousand years in the future, when a lunar eclipse would fall over the skies on the night of a full moon."

Rebekah nodded in confirmation. "It is at this time that he can be killed. However in order to do that, we need a powerful enough witch."

"What about Bonnie?" Tyler asked.

"Even with the power of a hundred dead witches, she is not strong enough." Kol said. "What you don't know about the lunar eclipse is that it happens twice a year. But this one is different. This one is supernatural in itself – a celestial event unlike any other. It only happens once every one thousand years."

"It was the night that we were turned into vampires." Rebekah muttered.

There was a brief silence. It was easy to sense the anger and hurt flowing from the three. After all their parents, who had raised them and taught them, given them life and loved them, had literally stabbed them in the back.

Elijah averted his eyes from his siblings. "I have planned this for two hundred years at the least. There are three items that will be needed. Esther's necklace, which we already have. We need to travel to Paris in France to obtain the Moonstone, where Klaus has hidden it. But it is guarded and undoubtedly there will be a battle."

"And the third?"

Now it was Elijah's turn to fall silent.

Kol continued gravely, "Something that has been hidden beneath the shores of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia."

Caroline's eyes beamed. "Great. So let's go and find them, kill Klaus and get on with our lives."

"It's not that simple."

"It never is," Damon muttered.

Elijah cast a glance at the arrogant vampire. "Finding the items sounds simple but we have a total of four weeks to find them. On top of that I need to send a message to some old friends in Moscow, in the Khimki forest."

"There's going to be a massive battle," Kol stated. "Between us, Klaus and his hybrids, and possibly the witches. We need to be ready, so we're sending a call to arms to anyone that we can get our hands on. Anyone that owes us a favour or hates Klaus as much as we do."

Damon again looked confused. "So what's the problem?"

"We cannot travel from Dublin to Paris, then to Australia and to Moscow and back without snatching a lot of attention." Philip observed, his emerald eyes darkening. "We need numbers, and we need groups."

Elijah nodded. "Two teams of five people each. The journey begins in two days time at midnight, and will last a month. The lunar eclipse begins in six weeks, and we must be prepared for battle by that time. As strong and fast as originals are, we cannot do everything by ourselves."

"So you need our help," Tyler mumbled, nodding. "I see. So what, five people in each team?"

"But there's only eight of us," Damon murmured.

"Nine," Elena growled. "Because I'm coming."

Elijah nodded before Damon had time to fully comprehend what had just been said. "And I also have another friend who will prove valuable on this journey."

At that even Rebekah and Kol looked at him in surprise. It was as if they hadn't known.

"You are _not_ going!" Damon snapped at Elena. "Do you have the slightest idea what could happen? There's going to be a battle! You could get yourself killed!"

Elena's eyes burned. "Well at least I'll die standing up for myself!" She shouted. "I'm sick of having to wait until you examine the bloody road before I can take a single step. I can do things for myself but you never seem to let me."

"That's because you're a human! You don't know how to deal with these things, Elena."

"I don't know because you don't want me to find out," she spat. "You're always trying to keep me down. You and Stefan."

"Stefan...?"

"Yes, Stefan!" Elena jumped to her feet. "Elijah and Philip used their Power to override his compulsion. Why didn't you tell me what was going on? You just let it go on."

Damon looked startled, guilty and humiliated all at the same time. He found himself unable to answer, and shook his head. Elena growled something inarticulate and moved over to the window, staring out over the ocean. She was seething.

There was an awkward silence, as if nobody really knew what to say. Philip reached into his pocket and stared briefly at a jawbreaker, fiddled with it and then shoved it back into his pocket.

Not the right time.

"...In any case, we need you all to make a decision on whether you will come or not." Elijah went on slowly. "Rebekah will be leading the second team and I'll be leading the first. So far it's me, my brother and sister, a friend of mine who will join us at midnight in two days time, Philip, Elena and Duncan."

"Count me in," Tyler said sharply. "I'm tired of Klaus. I want him gone."

"And me," Caroline added.

"You need to think it through," Rebekah shook her head. "Take a few hours to discuss it with each other. This isn't just going to be some trip. We only have one month to travel, find what we're looking for and then get back. We can't afford to get side tracked, separated, distracted or lost. As soon as we get there, we have to find what we're looking for and then get out as soon as possible."

"The chances are we'll be walking all day and into the night. We're not going to be able to take any spare clothes, blood or food, in Elena and Duncan's case. There's no pampered life, no safety and no roof over your head. If it rains, deal with it. If a storm comes, you just have to push on through or wait it out and haul arse the second it stops." Kol went on, scanning their eyes intently. "Even if you break your leg or get yourself bitten by a werewolf, we can't stop to let you rest. It's treatment and then move on. We'll carry you until you can move on your own, then you have to use all of your strength to stand on your own two feet."

Rebekah sucked in a breath. This was sounding less and less desirable as they warned them of the dangers. She hoped they wouldn't back out. "I've got some of Niklaus's blood which we'll take with us just in case of a werewolf bite. It'll be split up between both groups but once its gone, that's it. We can't get any more, and no spell or charm from a witch or warlock can stop the spread of the pathogen once its in your system."

"I'm immune to werewolf bites," Tyler reported. "Since I am half werewolf. The only person that would really threaten would be Caroline and Damon, since they're both normal vampires. Or can it affect you?"

"Original vampires have evolved." Rebekah shook her head. "Werewolf bites cannot kill us. Like the sun, they burn and weaken us for a short time, but our natural healing abilities will take care of the danger for us."

"And what about Elena?" Damon asked. "What can she do?"

"She can fight," Elijah said. "She's already taken some lessons from you in fighting vampires. She's also taking karate lessons from me and Philip. When we can, she will be taught and tested. But I assure you that nobody here will fight alone when the time comes."

Elena nodded from where she stood. The cool ocean breeze had calmed her down somewhat and now she felt better. "I'm not helpless or weak. I can fight, and I will."

Damon blankly nodded. He felt angry, but at the same time weak. What could he do to keep her safe? He'd fed her his blood so many times that if he did it again, he knew she'd never forgive him. _I'll just have to make sure I keep my eye on her, _he decided.

"There's also something else." Elijah murmured. "You will need to use all of your strength and abilities and be willing to follow instructions without question where necessary, or even step up and take lead yourself. In the two groups there will be the leader and a deputy, who will give commands when the leader is... Compromised."

"Can I ask a question?" Caroline chimed in. At the questioning glances she received, she went on, "What do you mean by, 'use all of your abilities'?"

"Speed, strength, healing factor," Duncan listed off, clearly bored of being left out so much. "And anything that you had before you became a vampire, or that you have. I dunno, if you can throw a basketball into a hoop, your aim could come in useful. It'd be best if you say what you can do before everything gets going, so that we can make full use of your abilities."

"My werewolf transformation," Tyler said. "I can turn whenever I need to, but I can't control it. Still, if it can come in handy, I'm sure I could force myself to turn..."

Elijah looked briefly thoughtful. "As I said, the two group leaders will be Rebekah and I. If you do decide to join in and travel with us, you should tell us about any abilities you have and let your team know. If we get into trouble, it'd be best if we have several different minds thinking of solutions rather than just one."

"I have another question." Caroline piped up. She was getting nervous that she was asking too much, but at Tyler's encouraging gaze, she asked, "You said that there are three items, and on the eclipse, we need a strong enough witch to channel the power. Shouldn't we try to find the witch first?"

"We already found one," smirked Kol. "Well, Elijah has anyway. We just need to focus on getting the items."

"It's time you went away and thought about your decision," Elijah added. "If you have any more questions, please just find us. Elena, it's time for your training. Come."

The doppelgänger lifted her head, nodded and strode confidently past her friends. She could feel Damon's perplexed stare setting pins into her back and knew that she was making the right choice.

It was time she took control of her life.

She was no man's puppet.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

In two days, it would all go down. Tyler, Caroline and Damon sat in the den in a mutual silence, thinking, fidgeting and occasionally glancing up at each other as if to ask what the other was deciding. But for a long while nobody spoke. There wasn't really a need to.

"I'm doing it," Tyler Lockwood said after a while. His jaw was set and his eyes were serious. "It's about time we did something to get rid of him. I believe that they're telling the truth."

"You trust them," Caroline told herself thoughtfully.

Philip and Duncan had stayed behind to answer any questions that they would have, but they stayed out of the conversation for now.

"I do," murmured Tyler. "It's just the look in their eyes. It's something I can't describe. It's a deep loathing whenever they spoke of his name, and hope when they spoke of their plan. Didn't you see it? They're serious."

"But Elena. She can't be." Damon muttered to himself. "She can't be thinking of doing this."

"Maybe it's a good idea that she does," Caroline said. Damon's icy eyes shot up to meet hers but she went on regardless; "We don't trust her enough. We always claim to care about her, and we do. We protect her, talk to her and all that stuff, but friendship isn't just about loyalty. It's about trust and support."

"She's a human," Damon stated bluntly.

"So is Alaric," Tyler countered. "But you trust him."

"Because he knows what he's doing!"

"And Elena doesn't?" Philip asked. The three had almost forgotten that the two had been there. The pale child's eyes softened. "Ever since she came here she'd been helping us in our aim to get rid of Klaus. It's actually been because of her, on several occasions, that we've found an answer we never would have if we hadn't had her on our team. You guys might think she's fragile and weak because she's a human, but she can learn not to be. Given enough training, she can adapt."

There was a lapse in conversation.

"I'm doing it," Tyler announced. "And I'm gonna give it my all."

"Me too." Caroline agreed.

But Damon remained quiet. Rather than declare his verdict or state his position, he got up, walked out of the room with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and walked down the hall. He needed peace. Needed to figure out things for himself.

Needed advice.

When he stepped past Elena's room in the magnificent house, she was talking to Elijah. It was just casual conversation and Damon was both angered and amazed by how much she had come to trust the original vampire. He was also amazed at how much he didn't, and how much it seemed that everything was just trying to screw him over.

He paused and strained his ears.

"Once you've changed into your robes, I want you to start with the basic stretching and breathing exercises. Then I'll fight you, but for your own safety I'm going to suppress my strength so that I'm on par with a normal vampire."

"Is there much difference between the strength of a werewolf and a vampire?"

"Werewolves are stronger than newly turned vampires." Elijah's voice was calm and collected. "It'd take about five years for a normal vampire to be strong enough to contend with a newly turned werewolf. Werewolves have more strength when immediately turned and their strength will increase gradually, very slowly, but you'll find that vampires grow stronger much faster. But it also depends on their diet and how much blood they have access to. Any malnourished vampire, even if they are three hundred years old or three hundred minutes, will be significantly weaker if they don't feed."

"And an original?"

"An original is naturally stronger, both physically and mentally, than all supernatural species. Our strength grows rapidly regardless of whether we have access to blood or not. It helps if we do, obviously, but we can go for much longer before we start to feel the effects of blood starvation."

"What about speed? How do you run fast?"

"We don't actually have natural speed enhancement, contrary to what people think. What happens is we channel power through our body and into our legs, and it causes us to gain great speed. It allows us to move faster than any human being or animal. Vampires are naturally agile and that is what makes others think we run fast."

"Is that the same for werewolves?"

"Werewolves cannot run as fast as vampires, but yes, they are also very agile."

"So where would I aim if I wanted to take down a Hybrid of the two? Would I go directly for the heart, or for the head?"

"It depends on the opportunity presented to you. Going for the head will stun them for a few seconds, and in that time you can go for the heart. But for a person of your strength and speed at the present time, it would be very difficult for you to be able to stun a hybrid. Think of the weaknesses of both species."

"Vampires are weak to vervain, decapitation, heart extraction... Um, magic..."

"And werewolves?"

"The same things, apart from vervain."

"That's right. Do you know what the werewolf equivalent of vervain is?"

Damon heard a brief pause. Then, "No."

"It's a plant called Wolfsbane. It also goes by the name Aconite and Monkshood, but Wolfsbane is the most commonly known name for it in American culture. It's a plant in Scotland and it's extremely toxic to werewolves. When ingested, they become feverish and weakened. But it has the same effect as vervain on vampires, in that it burns when it comes into contact with flesh."

"Ah, I see. Wait, so those hybrids in Paris that we'll have to fight... Would they be weak to both?"

"Severely. What are you getting at?"

"If Wolfsbane has the same effect as Vervain on vampires, what would happen if we made a grenade out of the both of them?"

"Combine the two?"

"Yes."

Damon heard Elijah put something down on a table.

"...Interesting. I'll look into that now and, if it is, I'm sure that we can sort something out."

Elena's heart skipped a beat, Damon noted. She knew she was being helpful and he heard an excited gasp from inside the room. Elijah purred a thank you.

Damon raced away just as he left the room.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Kol was watching Pirates of the Caribbean with Philip and Duncan as the sun began to set. They'd just obtained three new travel companions in Caroline, Tyler and Damon.

But Damon's loyalty was still torn.

Elena was stood on the patio, talking to the Wedge-tailed Eagle like she did every night. She'd started bringing him mice from the local falconry center that they used for treating their birds of prey. Truthfully she hadn't been all too eager at the thought of handling dead rodents but she'd gotten over it. Now she just loved watching the massive raptor tear into the lifeless prey, cooing gratefully at her for the free meal. She wasn't as afraid as it as she once been.

Damon watched from the cliffs nearby as Elena just talked to the bird, fed it, stroked its gorgeous plumage and talked some more. He was in his crow form and he felt a bit left out watching them. He wanted to be that bird, his friend. He wanted to sit beside Elena and get lavished with attention. To feel her slender fingers run down his feathers and hear her voice, as pure and heavenly as birdsong, confess things to him as she fed him tasty treats.

She'd changed. She'd changed so much. Where he'd thought Stefan's betrayal would only have shattered her, it had only made her stronger. More determined. More independent.

Caroline stepped out onto the patio, froze at seeing her friend with the massive bird of prey, and then shifted from one foot to the other. "Uh, Elena, are you sure you should be doing that? That bird can rip your head off."

Elena laughed at her friend's nervousness. "It's alright. He's well known around Dublin. Do you want to hear a story?"

Damon listened with interest as the doppelgänger talked about the great raptor's achievements at Dublin. She spoke about how he befriended humans, how he'd often helped out in rescues further down the beach and watched out for sharks by circling the water and screeching. She repeated everything she'd heard from Elijah and Philip, and then went on to speak about Atlantis, the Bottlenose Dolphin.

"He only shows himself by his home at midnight to those who he sees as having pure hearts," Elena said, to which Caroline's eyes were wide with interest. "When I decided I wanted to stop being told what to do, and I told Elijah that I wanted to help, he tested my resolve by taking me to Atlantis at his lair at the base of the rocks, around the cliff side. It took a few minutes but he came to me and I swam with him for a while."

"You swam with a dolphin?" Caroline breathed, surprised. "Wow. Hey, do you think you can take me onto the beach tomorrow? Maybe we'll see him."

Damon stared at the cliffs. The dolphin had tested Elena's resolve to stand up for herself and to regain control over her own life. It had sent her a reassuring presence and let her know that she was doing the right thing.

Perhaps he could visit Atlantis, and find out what he was meant to do.

As he slipped away he didn't notice the pair of eyes observing him from the patio, nor did he hear the soft beating of wings chasing him around the face of the cliff. He wanted answers.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The raptor landed harshly on the slippery rocks, shielding himself briefly from the spray of freezing water. The crow stared intently into the deep water, as if searching for something.

"Fledgeling. Atlantis will not come to you for this."

"I have to try," said the crow absently. "I have to figure something out."

"You want to find out if your mate cares for you. Atlantis does not come to those who ask questions. He is not a prophet. He comes to those who have already chosen a path and are in need of assurance that they are on the right path."

"So what, he won't come to me unless I make a choice?" The crow asked, looking back towards the gargantuan raptor.

The bird, who dwarfed his size completely, shook his head. "He does not answer questions. If he senses a true heart filled with conviction and determination come near these waters, he will reveal himself to them."

The crow sighed. "You're asking me to trust no-wings that have threatened those I care for. How can I trust them?"

"Do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"If I told you to dive into shark infested ice water and bring me back one of their teeth, would you?"

"Of course!"

"Then trust me and not them." The raptor said simply. "But know that they are on your side, fledgeling. When it comes down to it, they will defend you in battle with their lives. You just need to do the same for them."

"I wish you could come with us on this journey," sighed the bird, looking deeper into the water. "I could use your guidance now more than ever."

The raptor gazed at the crow steadily. There was something unreadable in his eyes, coolly calculating and calm. "Fledgeling, I will always be with you. When darkness falls, look for the north star and think of me. Perhaps I may not be with you in body, but in spirit. And trust in your mate, fledgeling. Don't deny her wings the chance to grow. She might just be learning to fly but she can do it, you just need to give her some encouragement and let her fend for herself. She is no chick."

The crow looked up towards the sky. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, signalling the beginning of a storm. They spent a few more minutes together and then went their separate ways. The raptor headed out across the beach towards the lifeguard station. Damon flew back to the house and entered just as the movie started.

"Damon, get some popcorn, would you? The next movie's about to start." Kol said. "Then come watch it with us. You'd like it."


	18. Titanic Storm

Day thirteen. At midnight tomorrow night they would leave. The house was bursting with activity. Elijah had gone with Elena, Philip and Rebekah down to the city center to get some supplies. Kol was with Caroline, walking along the beach, while Tyler slept in. He was exhausted from jet lag, but for some reason Caroline was restless.

"So you've only been a vampire for just over a year?" Kol asked, his eyes darkly mischievous. "Who turned you?"

Caroline gave him a cordial smile. Even if she wasn't comfortable with him, she could at least act it. "Well Damon's blood was in my system at the time, but it was Katherine that killed me."

"Katherine? The former Petrova doppelgänger? How'd she manage that?"

Kol meant no harm, but it was still strangely too recent to be talking about it. She flashed a slight glance at him that told the original that she didn't want to talk about it.

He changed the conversation. "So what's your animal form?"

At this, Caroline stopped walking. "Animal form?"

Kol blinked. "You don't know?" Caroline shook her head. Kol purposely threw himself onto the sand and sprawled out lazily. "Sit down. I'll tell you. You see, vampires don't just have the ability to heal when they get hurt. We have super strength, we can run really fast and climb up things like weird... Spidery things or something." Clearly he hadn't planned out what he was going to say. "We can also, to some extent, manipulate the weather if we're strong enough and feel like it. We can also turn into the animal that best represents us."

Vampires couldn't create hurricanes or form twisters, but when they focused their energy enough, a select few could in fact shroud a small area in mist. It was an ability that was rarely seen. But the animal form was better known. He was surprised she hadn't heard of it.

"What do you mean by 'the animal that best represents us'?"

For a moment Kol just stared straight at the sun, wondering if it really could blind him like humans seemed to think. Then he averted his blurred vision, his pupils shrinking and mind registering weird splotches of a weird cream yellow.

"The animal that represents your personality or characteristics. Like werewolves turn into wolves, vampires have a single form that inherits all of their powers of strength, healing and speed, but it takes a little longer to tap into them." Pursing his lips for a moment, Kol returned to staring at the sun. "Say you knew someone really brave. They're loyal, would die to protect their friends, had a lot of courage and confidence. They could be a whole load of animals, but what would you associate with those traits?"

"A lion, I guess," Caroline murmured. "A lion has its pride and its power. Nothing really dares to challenge it... Wait, so what would I be?"

Kol shrugged. "Won't find out until you switch. It's not like turning into a werewolf. It's not painful. It's just a sudden feeling of Power rushing over you, you do a little trick or spin or something and then boom. You're an animal."

Caroline bit her lip and leaned back. "So how do I change?"

"You have to figure out what animal you are by reflecting on who you are as a person." Kol groaned. "Tedious bullshit if you ask me. It took me about an hour to learn how to change but by the end of it I was so tired I couldn't be arsed."

Caroline snort-giggled. "So can you teach me?"

"Sure." Kol suddenly sat up, swinging his legs beneath him. "I'm bored anyway. So then, who are you?"

"Caroline Forbes. Vampire, student..."

"Personality wise. I don't think animals give a damn about occupation or name. Usually they prefer to get their own name to yours to set themselves apart. Anyway, tell me about yourself. What makes you who you are?"

Caroline fell silent for a moment, thinking. Then she looked at him. "Well, my friends all think I'm really confident and stuff, but I don't think I am. I mean I respect life and I want to help others, but I always seem to get into trouble. People just think I'm really strong and think, because I'm a vampire, I'm really mean and I'll bite people..."

Kol nodded thoughtfully. "And do you like it when other people stand up to you?"

Caroline shook her head. "I guess I'm a bit competitive over stuff. A few years ago... I guess I thought that everyone was ignoring me for Elena... I guess I think they still are. But I've changed, I think. I'm not completely bad. I don't think other people give me much of a chance before branding me as a man eater and stuff."

"Basing on what you just said," Kol's eyes gleamed as if he'd already figured it out, "What would you say you are? Sum it up in one word."

Pause.

"Misunderstood."

Kol nodded. "Stand up. Now focus your energy. Feel it swell up in your body, let it claim you. Relax. Listen to the environment around you, and when you're ready, picture your favourite place to be and then yourself. You're changing. But what you're turning into is..."

There was a sudden flare of mist that made him leap away and laugh as it consumed her. Caroline seemed to do a swift back flip, and then she crouched, cloaked within the spray of white. It turned into water and suddenly faded.

"Oh hell!"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Philip was facing the harsh reality that he would have to go without jaw breakers for a while, so he prepared a small stock of them just to keep himself entertained, and bought about five more to munch on when they were heading home. They'd all split up to get things that they needed. Rebekah had gone to the pet shop to get an extra large backpack that she could use to carry things on the journey. Elijah had gone somewhere else – he hadn't found out where the original was going. Elena had gone to get something else, which she'd said she needed, and Philip was just waiting for them to get back.

He'd already got the stuff he'd been asked to get. It was medication and a few extra syringes for Duncan's seizures, should he decide to get any while travelling. It was likely since they'd be moving around for a month without stopping. Duncan usually had a few every month, but he just hoped everything would turn out okay for his little brother.

He was about to head back to the Cadillac Escalade SUV to put his stuff away when he heard the sound of a dog whistle.

_Screeeeeeeeeeeee._

_Screeeeeeeeeeeee._

_Screee-_

With that, he bolted, clutching to the bag furiously while charging across the street and heading towards the sound of the whistle.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elijah was also getting a large bag for the journey. It was big with several compartments as well as a soft underside to cushion the holder's back as they walked. He'd need it. He just needed to pick one out – which he had – and buy it.

It was brown and partially leather with large containment areas and some straps to keep things sealed tightly inside. They could fit some grenades in it, he was sure. A few weapons as well in case they needed it, and there was enough space to fit some blood rations as well for the vampire side of them.

Which was the majority, unfortunately.

That meant they'd have to pit stop several times and send a runner to get them all refilled. He didn't mind since it wouldn't take up too long. They'd need to keep up their strength though and restrict themselves to maybe one blood bag a day, and stretch it out over the hours. But he was aware of one thing that would prove not just problematic, but awkward as well.

_Screeeeeeeeee_

_Screeeeeeeeee_

_Screeee-_

His ears twitched and he snatched the bag up as soon as he'd paid for it, racing out of the store without glancing behind him.

Elena.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

They'd been following her, she knew. She'd tried to stick to crowds of people and go into shops where they'd not follow. But they had and now she was cornered in an alley way. How it had happened she had no idea, but they had her backed up against the wall, and were leering at her hungrily.

"We just want a taste," said one vampire. A burly dark haired man with several scars over his face from his human years. A gangster.

One of them lunged for her, trying to pull her closer to sink his fangs into her throat. She promptly swung up her knee into his crotch and thrust her palm up over his chin like Elijah had shown her. Using one hand to protect her chest and throat, she glared at them, her heart pounding as they laughed at their battered comrade.

"You bitch!" He snarled suddenly, reaching over again. Elena was thrown back and pinned against the wall, straddling the man, her head forced up from his hand around her throat. The other two lingered at the back, waiting for their turn.

She was afraid. What, were they going to drink her blood, rape her, beat her, kill her...? So many negative things flew through her mind and her pulse skyrocketed. They could sense it.

She reached up, around and dug her fingers into his eyes, pushing and clawing. He leapt back with a howl and she found her chance. It was gruesome and she was surprised at her own actions, but she didn't want to let him get the chance to recover. As his startled friends stared, she twisted her leg around the back of his and pulled while pushing with her hands. He toppled over and whacked his head on the side of a large bin.

He didn't move.

But his friends did once they'd recovered from the shock.

"You get 'er by the legs, I'll get 'er arms!" One said. She was overwhelmed and overpowered. The two vampires carried out that plan and she fought back, thrashing against their hold, but she couldn't free herself. The dog whistle had rolled away from her in the fray. It sat on the floor in danger of being trampled on.

"Yeah, now let's have some fun!" Said one. They started to move, but suddenly there was a dreadful snarling. Elena lifted her head in time to see a flash of jet black and then a vicious snap. Her legs were released and she staggered, falling onto her back as the second vampire went down with a strangled shriek.

Before her head could hit the ground, she was caught. Philip stood over her, his bloodshot ruby eyes wide with surprise. But they quickly turned to anger and his long fangs bared at the third man like daggers made of pearl, who had started to rise. Elena blushed furiously and tried to stand, but her ankle felt like the muscle inside was being twisted and knotted. She hissed in pain, wincing.

The third man rose and was about to attack when he convulsed and collapsed into a heap on the ground. Elijah and Rebekah stood there – Elijah's hand was extended, meaning it had been him who had taken down the third man again.

Rebekah stepped over to her and pulled her onto her feet. Philip weaved himself around the unconscious vampires and walked over to Elijah, his eyes concerned. "I think she's hurt," he said. "I smelled blood on her."

"I'm fine," Elena said, shaking her head stubbornly. "It's just my ankle. I'll be fine."

"Elena," Elijah started, "I-"

"She's fine, brother," Rebekah interrupted. The vampire seemed to tell him something through the expression in her eyes. Suddenly his face dawned in understanding and he nodded, moving aside to let them pass.

Rebekah helped Elena to limp back through the alley, though she wasn't too pleased at having to help her at all. This woman had, after all, stabbed her in the back. She should have felt content in just letting her squirm under their attention but she found herself sympathising with the Petrova doppelgänger, even if it was for just a minute.

"Sorry," Elena grunted, sitting down on the park bench. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's not your fault," Rebekah replied bluntly, looking unimpressed as she crouched down and peered at her ankle. Elena watched her carefully as she lifted up the trouser leg slightly to get a better look.

"It's just a sprain. You'll be fine." She said.

Elena sighed in relief, but then found herself blushing furiously again. Undoubtedly Rebekah could smell blood, but she just wasn't saying anything about it. She'd never really thought about it until now, but it was awkward.

The trip home was filled with a self-conscious silence for Elena. Being trapped in a car with three vampires caused her adrenaline levels to spike and she tried to huddle herself in the corner of the SUV. Then, when they got home, she immediately holed herself up in her room.

_Knock knock._

"Uh, come in," she called.

It was Elijah.

He closed the door behind him quietly and seemed to glance about the room as if nervous about something. Elena felt her heart sink.

"Look, I..."

"I had hoped that my sister or Caroline would talk to you about this, but I can't find either of them. Apparently Caroline went out with Kol a while ago and Rebekah took Duncan and Damon out to the town..." He explained. "I'll try to make this easier on both of us. It would be a good idea for you to stay away from populated areas when you're... Like this."

Elena blushed and looked away, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I guessed. Um... Look, do we really have to talk about this?"

"I understand your discomfort, but it's important that you know something." Elijah's mouth quirked in a half-hearted reassuring smile. Elena nodded and folded her arms over her stomach. "Vampires need blood to survive, and since our emotions are... _Heightened... _We find certain things very pleasurable... So you see the whole point here, I hope. To sense both things at once is... Like mating season to lions. In a sense you could call it that with vampires."

"Yeah," Elena nodded. She felt like her face was on fire as well as her ankle. It didn't hurt as much but it was still throbbing like her heart had somehow travelled down through her legs. "I'll just stay around here when... Yeah, I get the point. Thanks, um..."

Elijah sighed through his nose and looked sharply away, then back as if he were correcting himself. He drew a breath, looking quite disturbed. "You shouldn't leave the house without someone with you. I know you took down a vampire earlier today but it's for your own safety. Dinner will be served soon, so if you want to get ready... Is your ankle still hurting?"

"No, not much," Elena lied.

Elijah shrugged. "Right. Do you want me to make other arrangements for your food? If you're more comfortable eating somewhere else, I can have it taken to the den. You could eat with Duncan."

"That sounds great. Thanks." Elena smiled. She was thankful when the original left and she was left on her own again. It felt weird getting talked to like that from Elijah, of all people. But then again she had to be very thankful it wasn't Damon who'd talked to her. He would probably have teased her about it.

At dinner she did eat with Duncan, who seemed more interested in trying to stay atop his sphere of air rather than actually eating. He managed to do a loop around the room before he decided to bite into his food. Rebekah came in, brushed by her, but put a drink down beside her on the table. It was some medicine that fizzed and tasted fairly strong as well.

"For your ankle," she said, though Elena knew it wasn't just for that. "It's in the cupboard, top shelf. Just get some whenever you need."

"Thanks," she said.

"Don't thank me. Elijah asked me to get it." Rebekah shrugged, then walked off.

Elena found herself blushing again.

As if things couldn't get much worse.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

It was midnight and none of the vampires could sleep. Elijah was sitting with Philip and Caroline in the den. Damon was talking to Kol and Tyler about how to make a vervain-wolfsbane grenade, which they were currently doing. Rebekah was lying in bed with her eyes wide open and Duncan was asleep, bored out of his mind even in his dreams.

As a thunderous eruption of sound echoed from above, Caroline jumped. Philip clung closer to Elijah just as Elena walked through into the room, holding another cup of painkillers for her ankle. Seeing so many vampires so tense was strange. Even Damon, who seldom seemed stunned about anything, was fidgeting more often than usual.

She sat down beside the original and his ward. Philip seemed so scared. It was like seeing a completely different person.

"Is he okay?" She asked. Thunder rumbled overhead. Elijah looked over at her but she could see unease in his eyes. The storm was affecting him too.

Vampires had greater hearing than humans. What she was hearing, Caroline was probably finding twice as loud, and Elijah three times as loud. She'd thought that having enhanced senses was all good, but right now she was starting to see some drawbacks of it.

"He's not too comfortable with storms," Elijah admitted quietly. "He'll be fine once it passes."

Duncan, woken by the loudest boom of thunder yet, staggered in a drunk on sleep way into the den and scrambled up onto the sofa with his older brother. He snuggled up close and wrapped his arm around the raven-haired boy in an effort to comfort him.

"It's so loud," Caroline said. "There aren't storms like this in Mystic Falls."

"The air is purer here, and we live right beside the ocean. This will probably just be the edge of one. It should pass within a few hours."

"I hope so," Caroline muttered.

Philip shuddered and buried his face into Elijah's neck, whimpering quietly. It wasn't just the storm that disturbed him.

"Philip?" Elijah coaxed. Kol entered the room, followed by a tired and grumpy Rebekah.

Philip's voice was low, strained and fearful. "They're all dead."

"I know, child. I know." Elijah rubbed a circle on Philip's back. His siblings sat on either side of him even though there was plenty of room on the U-shaped sofa.

"What does he mean?" Asked Kol. "Who died?"

"Nobody. Back off."

"Philip...?" Elijah pressed. "Maybe it's time you talked about it."

"They'll laugh," Philip said. It was a lie. He knew they wouldn't. He just wanted an excuse not to talk about it.

"We won't," Rebekah promised. "What's wrong?"

Philip shook his head. Duncan settled in closer against him, leaning on Elijah. Kol was poised ready to strike at invisible threats. Caroline and Elena silently watched on for a few moments longer.

Philip squeezed his eyes shut.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

1912, May 10th

One hundred years ago...

"_I'm sorry, all the other tables are full. May I sit with you?"_

_The table's occupants looked up to see a handsome noble dressed in an obviously expensive suit. Philip Shora's parents warmly invited him to join them, and he bowed slightly before he sat down._

"_A wonderful trip so far, don't you think?" Asked Philip's father._

_The brunet noble smiled, sitting up straight with a proud air around him. "Very wonderful. Even the food is exquisite. How has it been for you?"_

_The raven-haired man, sporting a small house of facial hair on his face, grinned. "Incredible." As the stranger's food came and he saw the waiter receive a tip for his services, he had to know who this man was._

"_Oh? My name is Elijah Mikaelson. And yours?"_

"_Ian Shora," replied Ian. "And this is my wonderful wife, Elizabeth."_

"_It is an honour to meet you both," Elijah smiled, his voice quiet and warm._

_"And I'm Philip," said the boy, smiling up at the man. "So where do you come from?"_

_Elijah's lips pursed and he gazed at the boy. "Well I don't really come from anywhere. I'm a nomad, you see. I go where ever the wind takes me. A travelling doctor."_

_Philip's eyes were bright with excitement. "Wow! I bet you've been to loads of places."_

_"I have indeed," Elijah agreed._

_A few days later they were still sailing. Elijah and Ian had grown close, walking around with each other, talking and often dropping in to see how the other was doing. Ian recognised an air of sophistication around the nomad and was intrigued by it, wanting to know more about him, but Elijah simply stuck to his story. A nomad was all he was. A nomad was all he would be._

_But it was at that time that Philip had started to grow sick with fever. Elijah received a summons from the ship's captain and entered the room where the medical staff were confused as to what he had._

"_It looks like Pneumonia," he said after checking the child's laboured breathing. Truthfully he was no doctor – he knew very little about medicine, but he'd made his story and he was sticking to it._

_Ian stared at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious! He hasn't been in the water."_

"_Pneumonia isn't just caused by swallowing water. It's something he's breathed in." Replied one of the doctors, nodding in approval. "Has he been down near the ship's engines?"_

"_He was, but... Are you telling me that my son has Pneumonia?"_

"_That's exactly what I'm saying." Elijah replied. "I've treated this several times before so I'm familiar with it. If you go for a walk and leave him here with me, I'll give him some treatment and he'll be as good as new."_

_Hesitantly Ian and Elizabeth complied. The doctors agreed to check them for any sign of infection as well as Elijah sat down beside the boy. He was sleeping, but probably not for long. Elijah bit into his wrist and pressed it to the boy's mouth, suppressing his healing factor just enough for him to get some blood into his system._

_When Philip awoke, he was feeling great. He wanted to get up but the doctors told him to stay down, saying that they'd like to keep him under observation. Ian, who returned from his walk thirty minutes later with Elizabeth, was both stunned and amazed at the sudden recovery._

"_My boy!"_

"_Dad...? Is it time for supper yet?" Philip yawned, wiping at his eyes. "I'm hungry..."_

_The boy's miraculous recovery had Ian singing praise over Elijah, boasting his skill to everyone that would spare him the glance. Elijah avoided all attention and hid away in the ship's infirmary where the Captain had arrived to find out more about what had happened. When he heard that the Pneumonia may have been caused by Philip inhaling fumes from the engine room, he ordered the crew to take more breaks and get fresh air regularly._

_A few hours later it was growing darker. A storm was lingering over the horizon. Philip had stopped by to thank Elijah for helping him, realising that he hadn't known he'd been so sick._

_Everything was about to change._

_There was a sudden, echoing groan throughout the ship. When it faded, both stared around the room. Then another, and a vicious crack of a whip._

_Elijah strained his ears and stepped out of the door to his cabin. Philip stayed close to him, looking once up and down the corridor, then casting a questioning gaze at the 'doctor'. Elijah heard the sound of rushing water; a noise so distinctive and rattling that it sent a shiver down his spine._

_Soon enough the corridors were being flooded with water. Philip was scooped up into a pair of arms and dragged, racing against the onslaught of waves, ploughing through closed doors at a speed that he hadn't even known was possible. All around them people were screaming, howling, trying to escape._

"_We're sinking!" Realised the child with horror._

_Elijah growled deep within his throat. Philip was pulled against his chest and for a moment he expected to hear the sound of pounding heartbeats, but there was only silence. An eerie silence. "I'll get you out of here."_

"_My parents!"_

_They were on the top deck before Philip realised what was going on. The ship broke apart; one side rolled up so that the point of its massive hull was pointing up towards the sky. People were falling from the railings, hitting the massive ship, dying._

"_I can see them," Elijah murmured, clinging onto the railing. "I'll try and get to them. Stay here and hold on as tight as you can. Don't let go."_

_He was alone._

_He could see Elijah making his way down slowly, evading the other passengers, trying to get to the couple on the outside of the railings a few meters away. It was so slippery and wet that Philip couldn't get a good hold. He was soaked, cold and afraid. Alone. By himself._

_He tried to get a look around him at the others, to see if there were any other people he could move over to, but Elijah's words rung in his ears. Don't move. Hold on._

_But it was impossible. The railings were just too slippery and he was weak with fright. The ship lurched and he was swung down onto the other side. Hanging. Dangling. Bottomless ocean, a pit of neverending black. Cold, starving waves churning, battering the sides of the vessel, trying to dislodge him._

"_Philip!" He heard Elizabeth shout from somewhere. He managed, choking on his breath, to look over his shoulder. Elijah had reached them and they were safe, but now his wide eyes were fixed on him. "Save my child, Elijah! Please!"_

_There was a glimmer of determination, then movement. Elijah was making his way back._

_Half way to him, the ship lurched again. Philip lost his grip and tumbled with a screech. He heard a shout of 'No!', a bright, ethereal light, and then his head cracked on the side of something hard. His vision dulled and he felt himself fade. Something grabbed his back and the storm arrived overhead, lashing them furiously, smothering them in a thick, choking swell of death and destruction._

_A screech, like that of a wild animal, and then nothing._


	19. The Beginning of the End

Riki prowled along the beach, her ears pricked and muscles burning with energy. She paused at the edge of the sand and stared out across the beach. A gathering was forming of men and women; vampires, witches, human, warlocks... doppelgänger.

"This is it then," she whined to herself, parting her lips to pant slightly. A wolfish smile came over her face and her dark brown eyes scanned the surface of the water habitually.

Behind her the lifeguard Wes was carrying something strapped to his back – a large rucksack, which seemed light to his toned muscles. She was often partnered to him on her shifts on the beach. Being more intelligent than most other German Shepherds, strong for her kind and fast on her feet, she was the perfect work dog to help save lives.

The wind tickled her whiskers and she drew her tongue over her upper lip. Without a word to each other – or a bark, in Riki's case – they slipped down onto the sand and made their way forward.

Both had heard about the journey that was to begin that night and both refused to let their friends go without a goodbye at the least.

Strapped to her back, the dog bag rolled back and forth over her hips. The German Shepherd could feel it shifting her weight with each stride but she was determined to get there before the group set off.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Philip sat on the cold sand with a jean coat wrapped snuggling his body, a black T-shirt underneath and a pair of black trousers. The charcoal-haired child vampire gazed up at Elijah, who was busy assigning them to their groups for the first journey: the one to Paris, just across the ocean. The trip would take a day, perhaps a night, depending on when one of the teams got to the airport and when the flight departed.

"The first team will be Kol, Damon, Philip, Elena and myself." Elijah said, glancing to each in turn. "We will travel by aircraft and head to the airport once you have all readied yourselves. Of course, the second team will consist of Rebekah, Duncan, Tyler and Caroline. You will travel by land and sea."

"We cannot attract attention to ourselves by travelling in a large group. Five people might look like a family on holiday. Ten will be a crowd."

Philip glanced about the gathering. "Elijah, who is the tenth person? There are only nine of us."

Elijah looked at his watch. "He will be arriving momentarily. For now everyone stand with your teams and-"

Suddenly the vampires turned, looking straight at an outline that was steadily charging closer at a high speed. Wes and Riki skidded to a halt a few meters away and stepped up to join them.

"Wes is coming with us?" Elena asked in surprise.

Wes shook his head. "Afraid not. I'm just here to see you off, mates." He turned to Elijah. "How long for this time?"

"A month, maybe more." Elijah replied. "How did you...?"

"Uh, let's just say a... little bird told me. Look, I brought you some stuff. Riki!"

The work dog bounded forward and stepped up to them, tail wagging. She'd completed her job again and her pack mate was pleased with her.

Elijah knelt down and unlatched one of the pouches, his oak eyes soft in the moonlight. He reached in with one hand and pulled out a piece of old parchment with numbers and names scrawled over it, a few dog-tags with four leafed clovers hooked onto the chains and each with their names etched in.

"The numbers were given to me from December Grace, the leader of my lighthouse. They're contacts for people who may be able to provide you with shelter and or help should you need it. The clover is from one of my mates who thought it would be a good idea to give you a traditional Irish good luck charm. The dog-tags are from Riki, who you can see has one already."

Riki lifted her chin proudly to reveal her own personalised dog-tag, which, other than her name and the number to the lifeguard tower, said on the back, "Don't bitch if you get saved by this bitch."

Each dog-tag had a different phrase on it and they all read theirs – and each others – as they put them on. Damon scoffed at his and tucked it away in his pocket, glancing around anxiously to check if anyone else had seen it.

"I hope they bring you luck," said Wes, resting his hand on Riki's head.

Philip smiled. His read 'Addiction to jawbreakers makes a good jaw breaker'. "Thanks!"

"We should let you get on with it." Wes nodded to Riki, who barked. The two crept away in the direction of the nearby bar.

"That was nice," Caroline smiled, pulling Tyler closer to her. They were on the same team with Rebekah and Duncan. She wasn't too fond of the original but they did have a strained mutual respect for the other.

Suddenly Elijah's head jerked up and he turned. From the tree line where the forest began a large lumbering creature appeared, peering down the cliff side at the side of the house. Elijah waved to the beast, which suddenly changed shape and darted forth like a breath of wind.

It was a tall man, about Kol's height, slightly taller than Elijah and Rebekah. Shoulder-length blond curls fell mysteriously over his shoulders and his eyes were chips of ice with an unusual warmth to them. Like Philip he was dressed solely in black.

"You look like Johnny Depp." Was the first thing to be said – by Kol.

Caroline _hmmmed. _"He does have the hair and facial hair... But his eyes remind me of Sirius Black from Harry Potter. His eyes..."

"My name is... Well, my nickname is Arrow." Said the blond, smiling charmingly. "I will be accompanying you on your journey."

There was a brief murmured discussion. Rebekah glanced to her brother. "How long have you known each other?"

"A long time." Smiled Elijah, nodding towards Arrow approvingly. "A very long time. You can trust him with your lives."

Arrow bowed slightly and glanced at each of the faces that he saw. One of the teams was missing a member – he had heard there would be five in each for the first journey to Paris. Assuming that he would be in the group with four, he stepped over and gave a courteous smile.

"The moon is high, Elijah. We must leave now if we hope to cross the sea by dawn."

Elijah nodded solemnly. "Travel swiftly. Meet us at the Eiffel tower at the next midnight."

Arrow nodded. "Who leads the teams?"

"For my team, it is myself. Kol is second-in-command."

"I'll lead," Rebekah said before anyone could get a word in. "My second-in-command will be Caroline. If that's alright with you?"

Surprised that she was being trusted with such a duty, Caroline's brow lifted and she stared incredulously at the original for a moment. Tyler's hand squeezed hers gently, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I, uh, of course. That's fine."

Arrow looked to the waves. They were lapping slowly against the shore. It would be a calm night. "Then let us leave."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Rebekah, leader of the second team, watched the silhouettes vanish over the top of the cliff. The chill in the air felt like someone was rubbing a block of ice over her exposed arms and while it couldn't affect her, it still bothered her.

Arrow was a complete stranger to her. She trusted Elijah and trusted his judgement but there was something odd about this man. Something she couldn't discern, and that only added to her frustration. But if he was going to help them kill Klaus, she had no qualms about working with him.

"Alright, Elijah's SUV just reached the edge of the forest. They should reach town once they get to the bottom of the trail. Now we need to get across the water."

"How are we going to do that?" Asked Tyler. "We're not gonna swim, are we?"

"Who said anything about swimming?" Rebekah's head rolled back to rest on her shoulder. She looked back at him as if to say, you idiot. Eyes half-mast, she stared pointedly at Duncan. "The journey takes just over four hours by plane, travelling at a steady speed and stopping once. We have until midnight tomorrow to reach Paris and we need to do so without being seen."

"I can make a tunnel," Duncan said. "Under the water, using the energy from a current. I just need to find one... Even though they're difficult to control, I have more than enough magic stored to get us there."

"Then let's go," Tyler said.

"Well, uh, while I'm focusing on bending the water around the tunnel, I won't be able to walk. One of you will need to carry me... And there'll be no oxygen, so we need a supply large enough to support me and Arrow while I..."

"It's alright," Arrow smiled. "I don't need to breathe. I'm a vampire."

"Hm? Oh, well in that case, you need to find me some oxygen to breathe. Five hours worth."

"Might be a big tank," hummed Tyler. "But where can we find an oxygen tank at this time of night? Do they keep any in the lifeguard tower?"

Duncan pursed his lips thoughtfully. His ebony braided hair whipped against his neck and shoulders. Black skin a few shades darker than Bonnie's made him seem a shadow in the night. "They keep small tanks that hold enough to resuscitate drowning victims in the water. They'll be locked up though. And the Tower is well guarded with alarms and CCTV."

Rebekah turned to eye the tower. "Will Wes be around still? That lifeguard?"

"He'll be at the bar. There's no use getting him. Just break in and steal three tanks."

"I'll do it," Caroline offered.

Arrow glanced to Rebekah. "I served in the military for a time. Stealth is one of my greatest assets. I can get in and out before the cameras even notice the door opened."

"Okay then, I leave it to you two to go out and get the tanks. But do so quickly. We need to reach the shore before dawn so that the humans don't suddenly notice tourists striding out of the sea at happy hour. According to these maps that Wes gave us, we'll need to skirt around St. Ives at the very bottom of the UK and hit somewhere near Brest in France. From there, we go through Rennes, Le Mans and up to Paris."

"All that by tomorrow night," Caroline murmured to herself. "Well we'd better head out."

By the time Caroline and Arrow got to the lifeguard tower it was nearing one in the morning. The run itself had taken about half a minute but the gathering, distribution of supplies and rations and the wait for everyone's departure had taken the most part of an hour.

Caroline was very worried that they wouldn't get to Paris on time. She'd seen Bonnie weave her strange magical powers but never for an hour, let alone several at once. But then Duncan was seventy-three years old, even if he only looked seven. He'd lived longer and got more focus over his powers and most likely knew more than Bonnie did.

"There's the entrance," Arrow hissed quietly so that his voice melted into the wind. Crouching down so that his knee touched the ground, he tilted his head to get a better angle.

"Do you know where they keep the tanks?" Asked Caroline.

Arrow shook his head. "No, but I should be able to catch the scent of the tanks themselves. Pure oxygen, believe it or not, actually smells a little different. It's actually dangerous too."

"Dangerous? How?"

Arrow bit the inside of his lip and swept a stray golden lock behind his ear. "Pure oxygen is toxic. I've heard of it poisoning people when they're exposed to it for a long time, but I don't know much more than that."

The vampires crept into the lifeguard tower, keeping to the shadows, their dark clothing making them invisible to the cameras. Thanks to their abilities they could walk in complete silence without being heard.

"This looks like a vault!" Caroline warned. Her voice was so quiet that the camera couldn't pick it up but he could. "They might be in here."

"Hm? Oh yes. I can smell something. You might be right. Since we don't have any keys we're going to need to pick the lock. Have you ever done it before?"

"Pick a lock? Well, no," Caroline whispered. "I've never really needed to. I don't like stealing..."

"Well, today's the first for you," replied Arrow. "I've never stolen anything myself – except for my partner's heart. But there are skills you never know you might need until you have to use them. That's why it's good to learn."

Arrow prowled through the room as quiet as a mouse and pressed against the wall beside Caroline. He reached out and ran a thumb over the lock, examining it, and then reached into his pocket.

"Can't we just break it open?" Asked Caroline.

Arrow rummaged around in his pocket. "We're supposed to not let them know we've been here," he replied. He pulled out a few pins and knelt down, pushing one end into the lock.

"But if they find tanks missing from the room, aren't they going to know we've been here anyway?"

Arrow stopped, blinked once, then started again. "Point taken. But we should do it this way anyway, just so I can show you how to pick a lock. Then you can show off to all of your friends."

Caroline snorted and rolled her eyes. She remained silent as she heard the lock click open.

Arrow unhooked it from the latch, planted it on the desk nearby and tugged open the door. Antiseptic blasted him in the face and his nose wrinkled slightly in distaste.

"Look around," whispered Caroline.

At the far end of the storage room, beside a desk with a clipboard, was a list of everything that they stored and what needed replacing. Arrow peered at it as Caroline glanced about the door. If they had an emergency then they would need access to the tanks fast, wouldn't they?

"Here," Arrow said. "It says the oxygen tanks are in need of replacing. That means they either have very few or none left."

"Rebekah won't be happy if there are none left," Caroline mumbled to herself. After a few more seconds of glancing over shelves and desks something caught her eye – something small stashed away in the corner by a few boxes of bandages. It was masked by the stench of antiseptic but traces still remained in the air.

Vampire Barbie, as Damon often called her, approached the shelf and pulled something down. It had several warnings on it – flammable, do not place near a source of ignition – but it looked like what they were searching for.

"I think I found it," she reported.

Arrow looked over his shoulder, squinted as if to read the text labelled on it, then nodded. "That's it. Is there only one?"

Caroline peered at the shelf. "Yes," she said.

"It'll have to do. I've found some full-face diving masks over here, though why they'd store these is beyond me. We can hook it up to the tank."

"Okay."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Doctor Sloan peered at Alaric's monitor readings. Meredith had fallen asleep in her office after showering in one of the bathroom's at the hospital. Since she had hardly slept recently he deemed it best not to disturb her.

The team sent to check for diseases and pathogens had left a few days ago and he still felt amused at how perplexed their faces seemed when they'd suddenly realised there was no problem at all. Their leader had been furious.

"Well, it looks like you're on a steady road to recovery," murmured Sloan. Marking a piece of paper with a flowing signature, he placed it down on the table, pulled off a small flash light from his pocket and stepped towards the bed.

He gently pulled Alaric's eyelid up. His eye responded by twitching and trying to shut again. Sloan flicked on the light and briefly checked his pupils reaction.

"Good," he mumbled to himself. "Definitely no visual problems... Breathing is normal, blood pressure is stable..."

Alaric was undoubtedly "on the mend" as some would say. Sloan had no doubt that he would wake up within a few days.

"In fact I'd bet my medical license on it," he mumbled to himself.

Alaric softly moaned from his bed and stirred. His eyelids flickered though remained closed. Immediately Doctor Sloan returned to his bedside and tilted his head to get a better look.

"Can you hear me, Mr. Saltzman?"

Alaric's hand twitched and he grabbed a handful of the bed sheets, as if to anchor himself to the waking world. A few heartbeats later and he had opened his eyes, though squinted and blinked a few times as if the light stung.

Sloan dimmed the lights slightly to better accommodate his patient.

"Don't try to move. I am Doctor Sloan and I work at the hospital. Can you breathe alright? Is there any pain?"

Alaric breathed and did not reply for a moment. When he regained his bearings, he sighed. "I, uh... Feel stiff... Head hurts... What...?"

"You were hit pretty hard on the head." Sloan said. "We almost lost you several times. No- don't touch your head."

"Why?"

Sloan moved his hand back to lie at his side. "We had to operate on you. More than once, in fact. We don't want you touching your head until we're sure that you moving around isn't going to cause any unseen damage. Now, would you like me to fetch Meredith for you?"

Alaric's eyes glazed over with a brief confusion. Then he nodded.


	20. A Warlock is Never Late?

As the airliner soared through the skies, Elijah glanced over his shoulder to check on his allies. Philip was asleep, cushioned against his shoulder, the vampire getting as much rest as he could since they would soon probably not touch dreams for some time. Damon was casting suspicious stares at the back of other passengers heads, as if their hair confused him. Elena was writing in a book she had bought at the Dublin market, reporting her personal thoughts about the first few hours of their journey.

Kol, on the other hand, was grating on a business man's nerves. Music blared loudly even through the headphones and he was ferociously drumming the air, bouncing about in his seat, gnawing his lip and head banging to the beat. The politician kept looking back to the oblivious vampire as if hoping to catch his gaze – which was impossible, since Kol's eyes were screwed shut in bliss – to start a conversation.

Elijah chortled at the sight.

And apparently Elena found it amusing, for she grinned to herself, gasped a quiet laugh and started documenting it in her journal.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Damon whispered, leaning over, peering at Kol's flailing arms over the top of his seat.

Elijah smirked. "Why should I do that?"

"He's drawing attention to himself."

"Nobody's paying attention," squeaked Philip, yawning. "Le' 'im ge' on wi' I'..."

Damon didn't look convinced but he said nothing more.

The flight would last for several more hours. Hunger started to sharpen his teeth and he felt a tingling sensation in his gums as he stared at the throat of a man a few seats ahead. When the flight attendant came by with a trolley a few minutes later the Salvatore duo's elder brother ordered a glass of ice water, hoping it would sate his hunger for a short while at least.

Clouds drifted past their window as the plane dropped down a few feet, wreathing around them like mist. Elijah felt he could reach out and touch them – well, he wanted to, anyway. He never had liked travelling by aircraft since it was so crowded and the atmosphere was so glum. He couldn't scent anything outside of the plane either since the windows were airtight. Every heartbeat, bathroom break, quiet murmur, belch, flatulence and snore assaulted his senses viciously and lingered in the air since there was no wind to blow it away.

"Do the flight attendants sell sweets?" Asked Philip quietly, blinking his tired eyes.

Elijah wrapped his arm around his charge. "Some. When the trolley next comes around you may ask for some sweets. But mind you don't have too many, child. When the plane touches down in a few hours we can stop to get something to eat."

"Hope you've touched up on your French," said Philip. He settled back down into his seat, warm and soft from sleep.

Elijah snorted. "Not recently. I never really liked France. Even though the war ended just over fifty years ago I can still smell traces of blood in the waters of Normandy. The culture is fine; history is interesting, but, ah..."

"Hm..."

The plane touched down quickly as the early splashes of dawn rose on the horizon. The squeal of rubber tyres on the cold runway made the vampires all wake. Slowly the plane came to a stop.

Damon reached around his seat and prodded Elena awake carefully, making sure not to hurt her or startle her. Kol hadn't been to sleep at all. After becoming bored of his musical solo he had flicked onto an in-flight movie and gagged, gaped and face-palmed at the horrific plot lines until he'd found one barely tolerable. Even then he was bored.

"Shoulda brought Jack Sparrow," he mumbled to himself. When he stood up and caught the politician dozing in front of him, a sly grin came over his face and he rudely shook the man awake. "Wakey wakey, rise and shine, mate. The rubbish dump called, said they want their wig back."

When the business man realised what had been said, Kol was already gone. Philip was snickering into his hand and Elijah was heaving himself off of the chair, his back stiff and legs yearning to be stretched.

The early morning dew glittered on the window panes of parked cars and buildings. Sharp frost warned them of snow and clouds were darkening in the sky. A gust of wind swept up a whirlwind of stray, dead winter leaves.

Elena let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Wow... This is Paris?"

"It is indeed." Elijah said. Suddenly he turned to Kol. "Take everyone to the café. Salvatore, we're going to speak to an old friend of mine. This way."

Damon looked sceptical but obeyed, nodding his farewell to Elena. Kol alertly scanned their surroundings, inhaling the scents and listening to the sounds to make sure they weren't being followed. So far it was all clear.

"So, who is this friend of yours?" Damon inquired as they raced from street to street, leaping over traffic, cars too fast for the eye to see.

Elijah halted in the shadows, looking around. He knew where the house was but couldn't recognise the surrounding streets. "A warlock who informed me that the Moonstone is hidden in a disused mansion nearby... Which is not so disused any more."

"Ah, nothing like a little reunion to start the day." Damon quipped.

Elijah remained silent and conjured the memory of the area as best he could, then shot off again. After a minute of running he found his feet leading him down the right area. The house was made of brick that stained his fingertips rusty with age and had a pale white door. It was a house that had stood proud for a long time.

Pushing open the gate they stepped onto the front garden and glided over the path to the door. He rapped on it three times and listened for the sound of footsteps inside.

A few heartbeats later the door creaked open. A pale man, no older than his sixties, pulled the door open half way, narrowed his blue-green eyes and then smiled in recognition.

"Elijah. So glad you've come. I've been expecting you."

Elijah nodded in greeting. "I've come to speak with you concerning important matters which... I do not doubt you already know about. May we come in?"

The house itself looked antique. Damon knew that the man could easily renovate it to make it look nicer but somehow the old feel to it provided a sense of comfort... It made him feel young again.

He tried to ignore the wary looks that the warlock's daughter shot at him from time to time as they ascended the stairs and went into a room that looked like a bedroom. The warlock shut the door, produced some sage from his pocket and started to burn it.

Slowly the scent drifted about the room. Elijah settled himself on a chair in the corner of the room and clasped his hands together thoughtfully, thinking about what he needed to know.

Damon leaned against the wall.

"They have not left," said the warlock after a moment. "In fact their numbers seem to have, ah... increased steadily. I haven't gone near the mansion recently but I can... sense their presence."

"How many?"

"Ten, maybe fifteen... No more than that..."

Elijah narrowed his eyes. Five they could deal with. Ten was risky. Fifteen would be difficult.

"Have you noticed anything about their movement patterns?"

"Yes. Well, despite being able to walk in the sun, they seem to... thin their numbers during the night... I've seen them walking around... looking for people to feed off of – something which they cannot do during the day, since tourists walk everywhere."

"I see... And have they threatened you?"

The warlock shook his head. "No... But when I have seen the odd one or two of them roaming around during the day, I can feel their gazes burning into my back. They know that I'm aware of their activities but I do not think they will attempt to do anything. I am well known here and should they attempt to kill me, the other witches in the area will immediately know what is going on."

Elijah pursed his lips. "Then that is good," he said. "I don't need to worry about protecting you, Leonard. With any luck your little infestation should cause you no more problems when we're through with them."

Leonard's eyes brightened. He had worried about his family for some time now. "_Merci beaucoup_, Elijah. I really appreciate this. Is there anything I may do to aid you? Do you need food or shelter?"

Elijah's eyes hardened slightly. "We are able to take care of ourselves but thanks for your consideration. If there is anything then I will call... For now it would be wise not to speak of our encounter. In fact you should make sure the other witches look in on you more frequently, just in case."

Leonard looked worried. "Do you suspect they may attempt to attack?"

"No," Elijah said quickly and calmly. "It's just a precaution. They have no reason to mount an attack on you."

"When will they be gone?" Asked Leonard.

"Mmm... In a few days time."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"So we're really gonna take these guys on," Damon grimaced as they reached the café. Kol sat with Philip and Elena at a table in the corner. As they approached they heard Elena talking about how everything had been before she'd found out about vampires, witches and werewolves.

"Bonnie used to tell us that she was psychic. Of course back then we didn't believe her... We figured she was just trying to get our attention."

"And when you found out she really was a witch?" Kol asked, spinning a cup of hot chocolate around in his hand. "Did she fry you with accidental magic or did you just catch her levitating a feather? You know, all _Wingardium leviosa _like in Harry Potter?"

Elena looked slightly unnerved. She never had found Kol comforting. He seemed eccentric and dangerous to her.

"Well she told us about her grandmother, who was a witch, and we found out when she performed some magic herself." She explained quietly. "What about you? Your mother was a witch. Were any of you witches before you became vampires?"

Kol was about to answer when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked around and grinned as his older brother stepped up to join them.

"Elijah! So did you meet your witchy friend?"

Elijah sat down beside him. "Yes and we've found out some information about the Moonstone's location. There are definitely hybrids guarding it – ten to fifteen."

Damon perched himself beside Elena, slouching in a bored way. "Yep. But how we're going to get it without getting killed is beyond me. So what's the plan, hm? One does not simply walk through the door."

The eldest original nudged a salt shaker back into the center of the table. "A stealth mission, of course. We're going to have to get in and out without them noticing... Rebekah, Arrow and I shall do so."

"And what about Leo'? You told him you'd get rid of his little pest problem."

"Yes. Which is the second part of the plan, once we have the Moonstone. You see, if they find out its gone, the first thing they'll do is start howling Klaus's name and we can't have that. So once we've got the Moonstone we're going to run in, tear their pretty little heads off and be done with it. But we need to find a more appropriate place to talk about this. So, how about a walk around?"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Furious beyond belief, Klaus gulped down the rest of his wine straight from the bottle and hurled it at the wall. A snarl was etched across his face like it had been carved by a rusty nail on a broken piece of glass and his eyes were like two suns, alight with a hungry flame.

Elijah was gone. Rebekah. Gone. Kol. _Gone. _He had no idea of where they were and the last he had heard was that Esther had attacked Elijah and that Rebekah had gone to help. Kol hadn't been meant to go but apparently he had.

If they couldn't get in contact with him either they were too busy to or something had happened to them. But what could he do – where could he go? There was no way for him to know where they were. Esther had put up some kind of location-blocking spell so no other witch could detect them. Bonnie Bennett, his only potential lead to find out where "Dark Alaric" had taken Elena was stricken with amnesia from a head wound.

His hopes had come crashing down and he felt so frustrated that he could tear the walls off of the hotel room in Georgia.

Again he was alone. Again he was left in the dark. Again people were conspiring against him.

And from the sounds of it Alaric still hadn't woken up. Klaus hadn't heard anything from the hospital and he was still confused as to where the Salvatore brothers had gotten to.

Tyler Lockwood had said they were en route to find Bonnie. That had been days ago. Stefan had turned up, obviously desperate for word on Elena, then taken her back to Mystic Falls after Klaus had failed to get anything out of her. Where the fuck was Damon?

Damon was just as obsessed with the doppelgänger as Klaus and Stefan were. Why hadn't he turned up? Why were people vanishing under his nose?

Again he lifted his mobile to his ear and tried to get a response from Rebekah's phone.

_I'm sorry, _said the mechanical female voice almost tauntingly. _The number you are dialling is not in service._

What in hell did that mean? The phone had been destroyed? What had happened to it? Kol had left his – Klaus had searched and found it, but it contained no information at all. The destructive vampire never had understood – or given a damn – about how to work it. Given the chance he would have prank called the police or the bomb squad just to get a kick out of it and blame it on him.

And it made no sense with Elijah either. Elijah had a phone. In fact he kept it with him at all times and, while Klaus had never seen him take it out of his pocket in public or even in the house with someone else in the room, he knew that he had one.

But that number was out of service too. Well of course, Klaus had heard the phone destroyed in the battle he'd heard. But if he had survived – which Klaus didn't doubt he had, because Elijah was strong and fast – then he would have called by now.

There was nothing that Klaus could do and he knew it. There was no way to get in contact with them nor to figure out what might have happened.

There was nothing he could do but wait.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The large orb of air moved as quickly as it could, rolling over the riverbed. Rebekah, Tyler and Caroline ran like hamsters in a wheel to keep it rolling while Arrow trotted behind them, held onto Duncan and fed him oxygen through the mask and tried to keep a grip on the tank.

"How – long – now?" Huffed Caroline. Rebekah was keeping herself from running as quickly as she could so that she didn't exhaust the two behind her.

The original vampire tried to peer through the water but it was pitch black. She could only see within the oversized crystal ball because Caroline had her phone out and was using the light as a torch. Granted it kept going out every few seconds but it worked nevertheless.

"We've been running for about a few hours now." They all wobbled as the ball tumbled over a sand dune and veered slightly off course. Rebekah ground her teeth and stepped up the pace slightly. "We should reach it any minute now."

"Duncan's oxygen will run out before then," Arrow warned. "The pressure is already getting low."

Caroline had never run so much in her life. Though her endurance was fairly high since she was a vampire, she had felt tiredness creeping into her body for the past thirty minutes, though she dared not say anything to Rebekah.

"Running underwater is much harder than it looks," Rebekah complained.

"Well we are in a big bubble," Caroline pointed out in amusement. "I bet nobody else can say they've done this."

Rebekah frowned for a moment, then smirked. "Yeah, well I guess nobody's ever gone on a quest to kill a crazed genocidal vampire-werewolf before, huh?"

Caroline snorted and grinned. "There's something to tell your friends."

The bubble wavered briefly, then stabilised. Duncan's breathing started to grow shallow and his head tipped back slightly, as if he were starting to fall asleep.

"Uh oh," Arrow murmured. "Duncan? You okay?"

"Mmm..." The warlock groaned, blinking his almond eyes. He lifted up his head, which seemed strangely heavy, and sighed. "Tired... Need a... Break..."

Rebekah looked over her shoulder, her eyes flickering with brief concern. "He's been breathing that stuff in for a few hours now. You said it wasn't safe. Maybe we can-"

There was a bump in their underwater path and suddenly a beam of light rippled on the water above them. "We've reached land!" Caroline exclaimed, pushing a little bit harder despite her exhaustion. Their heads peeked out of the water and they raced up onto the empty shore.

Rebekah stared at Duncan. Then suddenly the bubble burst and Duncan's head fell back onto Arrow's shoulder, his eyes rolling back in his head slightly. He stared upwards, tensing.

Arrow clutched the boy around his waist and lowered him onto the sand. "Oxygen poisoning," he murmured after a heartbeat. Crunching into his wrist, Arrow pressed it against his lips and tilted his head back to let him drink.

"Elijah tells me that he is prone to seizures... It looks like he's fallen into one."

"But... He's not flailing." Caroline said.

Arrow snorted. "That's what everyone thinks a seizure is. Truth be told they're actually not always where the patient is convulsing. Sometimes it can be where the patient just spaces out for a few seconds and fidgets a bit. Television shows love to over dramatise epilepsy."

"How do you know this?" Asked Rebekah curiously.

Arrow smirked up at her. "I'm a doctor. I'm no surgeon, though I can stitch something up from time to time _in _no time at all. I can recognise any herb and poison instantly. I actually prefer to use them than the strange things humans come up with nowadays."

Tyler stared around. He closed his eyes and extended his senses, trying to get a snippet of conversation. It was early in the morning but someone should be awake.

"_That's right. Now, when you get to the..."_

Immediately he snapped back out of his thoughts, staring ahead of him. That was _not_ French. He sped off, trying to figure out exactly where they were.

A few moments later he returned, his eyes wide. Rebekah, pulling Duncan up in a bridal carry, tilted her head.

"We're not in France," he explained hurriedly. "We're in Sennen, St. Ives. We're in the United Kingdom!"

Rebekah opened her mouth to say something, then clamped it shut, glared at the sand accusingly and stomped her foot in anger. Sand sprayed into the water and the ground seemed to tremble.

"_DAMN IT!"_


	21. From England to France

In order to get to Paris they would need to cross the Celtic Sea to either Morlaix or a place north of Rennes. First they would need to run from St. Ives north-east to St. Erth, south-east to Helston and then south to Landewednack. Then came the water, then the next step in their journey – the track to Paris, through France.

"I think the fastest way would be the A394, from Penzance to Helston," murmured Tyler, running his finger along the green vein on the map. "That would take a few hours..."

"Why can't we just fly?" Caroline butted in.

"Our... 'Budget' only has enough for four flights, Caroline." Rebekah growled. "Dublin to Paris, Paris to Moscow and then all the way back again. We can't spend money outside of that, except for food for the witch and human."

Closing the door behind him, Arrow stepped into the room. They were seeking temporary accommodation in an elderly woman's house. Rebekah had compelled her to let them in.

"Duncan's sleeping," he said quietly. "He probably won't wake up for a few more hours. He's completely healthy, but just needs to replenish his magic reserves."

"We can't even send a message," Rebekah mumbled, staring at the map again. She glanced up at Caroline. "Do witches know teleportation spells?"

"Bonnie never used any, nor mentioned them," replied the younger vampire worriedly. "Sorry..."

"Even if they do, it would take too long to find a witch and to get them to perform it. We have no guarantee it would even work if they exist. Duncan's not got enough strength to start whipping people through space and time."

"Then we're going to have to run some more. Alright, we're going to find some humans and feed on them to get our strength back. I want everyone ready to move within the hour. Arrow, you'll carry Duncan and tend to his needs."

Everyone moved to leave the house. Caroline moved to follow Tyler, then stopped, her eyes widening, and spun around again. "Rebekah! I have an idea."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

It was a good thing, Caroline realised, that Kol had taught her how to transform into her animal form. Granted she still struggled with the transformation itself, she had never actually spent that much time as her avatar. A few seconds was all it had been and she'd been so confused and dazed that she couldn't entirely remember much about what had happened, except that she'd felt dry and hot on the sand.

Tyler was listening to her explain her plan intently, his eyes not once leaving her face. They were filled with surprise and confusion, as though he had never known about the subtle powers of a vampire.

"Can I transform too?" He asked, glancing at the group as he helped drag the 'rented' speedboat out to sea.

"The first thing my _brother_," Rebekah spat the word with venom, "tried was to turn into an animal aside from his werewolf form. Every time he tried to turn into his vampire-avatar form as a hybrid, he found himself turning into his werewolf state instead. So no, Hybrids cannot turn into anything else. You already have a form."

"So what are your animal forms?" Tyler asked.

Rebekah's nose wrinkled. Arrow glanced away. Tyler said no more.

"Right, so focus on the animal..." Caroline murmured as she clasped her hands in front of her stomach. "Feel yourself shift..."

"Might want to step back a bit," Arrow warned silkily.

The water around Caroline churned. In one fluid motion she somersaulted back and slipped into the water and was consumed by an ethereal, dim light. The water rippled and she felt her arms folding so that her hands touched her breasts, her legs straightening out and face stretching outwards. Her vampire fangs extended and doubled in her maw.

She was a massive 10 ft with a grey back and white underbelly. She rolled over in the water and stared ahead of her, circling around. Her instincts were telling her to swim out and find some fish but her mind was telling her no, leaving her slightly confused.

_Oh yes! I have to help the no-fins. That's... Wait. My name is... Caroline... No, that's the no-fin. My name... I don't have a name..._

The Grey Nurse Shark tapped the bottom of the sand with her fins and pushed herself up to the surface of the water, lingering there, moving slowly with her sharp eyes locked onto the humans atop the boat. They were trying to loop something around her, like a long rope, and before she knew what she was doing she had snatched the loop in her teeth and started thrashing with it, trying to kill it.

_Stop! Stop!_

She stopped, lowered herself back into the water and wriggled forward, trying to get used to the new strange way of movement. She had no feet to walk; she only had a long tail which she whipped back and forth to steer with and propel herself through the water.

_If I were a dolphin maybe this would be easier._

Atlantis, the bottle nose dolphin in Dublin, moved by wagging his tail up and down. Caroline couldn't because her back didn't bend that way. Experimentally she tugged on the rope in her teeth, trying not to snap it but at the same time trying not to hold it so loose it would pull away from her.

She flicked her tail to try and move but succeeded only in throwing herself out of the water like a torpedo. She splashed in again and rose to the surface just in time to hear Tyler comment.

"Flying sharks. We're fucked."

She chomped down on the rope again and started to pull, starting with slow movements, trying to get a grip on the steering. It wasn't as easy as it looked and she had a bad feeling she would walk funny for the rest of the day.

_My fins can help me to steer, right? Let's try that..._

Soon they were charging into the open sea, Caroline ploughing through the top of the waves, the boat rocking from side to side with the vampires clinging to the metal railing for their lives. Caroline was growing more and more excited and she swam faster and faster, leaving a long and uneven wake.

"We'll get there in no time like this," Rebekah laughed, her eyes alight. The gulls feeding nearby let out horrified screeches and flew away at the sight of the charging shark.

"I'm just glad that no other sharks can move this fast!" Whimpered Tyler, almost flying off of the boat as Caroline changed direction abruptly. He dove into the steering compartment and pushed himself against the chair. "Are we there yet?"

"Aw, is the little hybrid afraid?" Rebekah sneered.

"Nn-o!" Tyler's voice broke and he squeaked.

"If I'm not mistaken, that patch of land there is Cherbourg." Said Arrow, pointing to a barely visible mound of earth in the distance. "Paris is south-east of it."

"We'll give Caroline a few more minutes and then we'll have to call her into the boat," Rebekah said. "We can't have humans seeing a boat of people being pulled by a shark. That will attract attention."

"And we haven't already?" Tyler snapped.

Rebekah snorted. "Seriously, Lockwood? We're in the middle of the ocean. Who on earth could have seen us? _Some birds?"_

She climbed onto the top of the boat, leaned forward and tapped Caroline's tail with a long rope. The grey nurse shark disappeared under the water and they begun to slow. Then a hand gripped onto the side of the railing and a drenched but grinning vampire heaved herself up into the boat, her eyes alight.

"It worked!"

"Well done, Caroline," Rebekah nodded her approval. "I knew I'd made the right choice in making you my second in command. Now dry yourself off. Tyler, you drive the boat. Arrow, how's Duncan?"

Arrow opened his mouth to speak, but he was beaten to it. "I'm fine," yawned Duncan, stretching his arms and legs out and blinking open his eyes. "My braid feels like its caught on something... Arrow?"

Arrow looked down and unhooked one of the child's braids from where it had caught his button. The hair had started coming loose and he paused to neaten the braid. "Sorry 'bout that."

"S'fine," Duncan mumbled. He sat up on the vampire's lap, rubbing at his eyes to clear the spots from his vision. "Where are we? What happened?"

"Nearing France," said Caroline, squeezing the water from her shirt. "We got to St. Ives but you passed out. We, uh, borrowed a speedboat from there and travelled here."

"Mmm," hummed Duncan, looking around at the water. "It's a good thing I don't get sunburns..."

Arrow smiled, then added to the group, "It's scientifically proven that humans with darker skin burn less, whereas people with pale skin burn more often." He ran a hand over Duncan's hand, feeling the smooth, dark skin. It was quite beautiful, he thought. "Speaking of which, perhaps it would be a good idea to purchase some lotion for the human girl with us. She is quite pale."

"We can get some on the way to Paris," Rebekah said coldly. Arrow glanced up at her, curious as to her angered tone when referring to Elena. "For now let's just touch land, hide the boat and get to Paris as quickly as we can. Duncan, can you send a message to Elijah? Tell him we might – no, we_ are _going to be late."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elijah felt a strange sensation in the palm of his hand. As Damon and Kol argued about battle strategies, Elena was training with him in her self-defence training. She abruptly stopped in mid-strike when she saw him clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Something wrong?" Asked the doppelgänger, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Elijah remained thoughtfully quiet, lifted his hand and stared at it as though it had just tried to make a joke about him and failed. Elena jumped back in surprise when a candle of flame erupted from his hand, as big as a torch, before shrinking down to nothing.

In his hand sat a folded piece of paper. Kol looked over from where he had Damon in a playful headlock, pulled a lollipop from his mouth and asked, "What's going on?"

"Duncan sent a message," exclaimed Philip. The child hopped up onto the edge of the chair and peered into his hand at the paper.

Elijah unfolded it and read it out loud.

_Just arrived in France, north of Rennes. Heading to Paris but we're going to be late. I had a seizure according to Arrow. Nothing to worry about though._

_Rebekah and Caroline say to thank Kol for teaching her how to shift. We would have been stuck without it._

The handwriting changed. Elijah stopped reading it out loud. Kol puffed out his chest proudly at the shout out and returned to wrestling with Damon.

_A here._

_Elijah, Duncan's fine. I gave him some of my blood and he's recovering. It was oxygen poisoning – we had to travel underwater for a few hours to avoid being seen and he inhaled too much of the stuff. We landed in St. Ives but Duncan had lost consciousness so we chose a different method of travelling._

_I want to talk to you when we arrive – maybe with Rebekah and Kol too. We should arrive long after midnight, maybe at six in the morning? Not sure. Depends on traffic. Not that Rebekah plans __on obeying any speed laws._

Since when did Rebekah follow any laws? Elijah smiled to himself and scrunched up the message. In the hotel room they were in there was a table at the far end. They couldn't smoke in the hotel – not that any of them smoked anyway – so there were no ash trays. Though he needed to get rid of the message so that nobody else could read it, he couldn't exactly burn it.

"I'll take care of it," Philip offered, as if he had read Elijah's mind. Elijah tossed the small ball of paper to his charge and watched as he took it into the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet.

The hotel room was large with chalk white walls. Admittedly they hadn't paid for it. While Elijah wasn't worried, he still wanted to leave as quickly as possible. There was only one king sized bed, which was somewhat creased from when Elena had first entered.

"Whenever you enter a hotel room, the first thing you do is jump on the bed," she'd said. Damon had agreed but maintained his dignity and moved to stare out of the window. Kol had leapt on so hard he'd nearly snapped the mattress. Elijah had blatantly refused and Philip had hesitated and then bounced on, then immediately got off again and started writing.

"This is exciting, isn't it?" Elena prompted as Elijah changed stance and attempted to teach her the roundhouse kick.

"Leg higher," he instructed. "What do you mean?"

Elena swung herself around and tried again. "All of this- Ngh! Travelling. I've never been out of – Mystic Falls before."

"Well you've have to excuse that we won't have much time for sight seeing – keep your back straight! Maybe after Klaus is dead you can return and explore of your own leisure."

"Sounds like a good idea," Elena smiled. Suddenly she stumbled, yelped and fell backwards.

Elijah and Damon both grabbed her by the arms and hoisted her up again. Damon's eyes glittered with caution and protectiveness as the original handled the young woman but he didn't make any comment on it.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked instead.

"Hell yes he does! Get back over here. We're not finished!" Kol protested. Wrapping his arm around Damon's neck, he pulled him back and threw him roughly onto the chair. "Now hurry up! I asked you a question."

"Perhaps next time, Damon," Elijah said simply. "Philip, care to join us?"

Philip surprised Elena with his flexibility and strength as he sparred with her, correcting her moves and often stopping her to nudge her back into the best stance. It was so easy to forget that he wasn't a child, but a vampire whose strength easily outmatched her own.

Elijah stood back a while and let Philip take over. He found himself smiling as he heard Elena breathlessly call him a midget and got chased about the room, then pinned to the floor.

"Oh yeah? I'll Chuck Norris your face in!"

"Don't hurt her too badly," Elijah warned the boy. "We need her and she's no use if you break her arms."

"Don't hurt her at all," added Damon as he tried to get around Kol.

"Don't get in the way," Kol muttered. This time he got up, shoved Philip off and sat on him. "Elijah, I'm bored."

"Second name?"

"What?" Kol blinked up at his elder brother, snorted and then shook his head. "Oh. Ha ha, very funny."

"Hilarious," said Elijah flatly. "Elena, you can take a break from training now. I need to go somewhere. I will return shortly."

"Can I come?" Kol asked hopefully.

Elijah halted by the door, glanced over the original as if to check he was okay and then nodded.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The Wedge-tailed Eagle dipped beneath the trees as silently as a mouse and peered at the mansion. Well it was more like a warehouse in that it was in a state of disrepair. The stench of musk hung heavy in the air. The chill ruffled his feathers and he stared intently at the entrance to the large human nest.

The copper stallion crept forward noiselessly and swivelled his pointed ears around to catch any noise that he could. Both could hear voices from inside – the voices of men and women. They were at a small forest by a zoo. Cars could be heard in the distance.

"There's a strange wall around the nest," hissed the raptor quietly. "One that makes people oblivious to its presence and walk around it rather than into it."

Sumatra narrowed his bulbous eyes and lowered his head slightly, scraping his hoof against the ground. "How do we get inside?"

"We wait for night fall." Decided the raptor, peering through one of the shattered panes, straight at the outline of a hybrid. "When they are few, we move in. No no-wing will be around then."

Sumatra grunted and shrunk back against the tree line. "Two-legs approach! Fly, my friend! Go!"


	22. Nocking the Arrow

The second day into their journey came and passed swiftly. Elijah stared out of the window as the sun went down. Earlier on, when the sky had still been dark the second group had trudged into the hotel to rest. Now they were moving again, each fed on human blood from the neighbouring rooms.

"Elijah, we're waiting for your instructions," Duncan mumbled over a plate of sandwiches.

Realising that he had drifted off into his thoughts, Elijah pivoted on his heel and approached the group. Where five people had not been too annoying there were now ten, creating more of an obstruction and a hassle.

"You all know the plan," he murmured. "This will be the last of the hour spent in this hotel. There is no hesitation or mercy involved here – if even _one_ of those hybrids escapes they will warn Klaus."

Rebekah lifted her head. "I'll go over it one last time: make sure you understand each step first. We wait until the hybrids have gone out for their little snack. Their numbers will have thinned so we won't have to worry about as many."

"...Arrow and I will enter the house and locate the Moonstone."

"And us?" Elena asked hopefully.

"You will keep guard outside. Duncan will cover you by burning sage so that your heartbeats cannot be heard. If the second group of hybrids comes back from their feed or we are compromised, you will be ready to fight."

Elena looked triumphant. Damon looked worried.

"Since Hybrids are stronger than the average vampire I ask you to remain in groups of two at all times."

Damon's eyes flickered with triumph. Elena looked slightly crestfallen.

Rebekah sighed and stared pointedly at Damon, Caroline and Philip. "Since they are werewolves, try not to get bitten. I do have some of Klaus's blood with me but not enough to spare should you all get bitten. And you..."

"I'm protected," said Arrow coolly. "Not a problem for me."

"Right."

"Then let's go. Pick your partner and stick with them. Arrow, with me."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Having once been in the military, Arrow knew much about stealth. Being a vampire aided him in moving silently but the rush of wind that accompanied their fast movement would alert their enemy to their presence – something he was careful to remind Elijah of.

The hybrids had broken ranks five minutes ago. Sage burned outside the house, the scent blown downwind and out of the werewolves sensory range. Arrow crept through the house, listening to each sound the floorboards made, anxious that each one coming would creak and alert the hybrids to their presence.

But so far it all seemed to be going well.

They were inside the house. It was as old and run down as it looked from the outside, if not more. Duncan had carefully removed the barrier surrounding it long enough to let them in, then he'd replaced it but made it so it wouldn't shy them away.

Arrow lowered his foot to the ground, looked over his shoulder to where he caught tiny sparks of light reflecting off of the half-moon. Elijah's eyes were wide and his pupils large to see as much as he could, but vampires could see clearly, not in the dark. Whatever light they had they were stuck with.

Making a gesture with his hand, Arrow motioned to one of the closed doors and jerked his head as if to say, check if it's locked.

Elijah glided across the dark corridor, cautious not to tread on the shrapnel of broken glass lying at his feet. Very slowly he turned the handle, then coaxed it slightly.

The door opened but the room was empty.

Arrow saw a slight shake of the head. Elijah closed the door again and prowled forward.

If Klaus was picky, the moonstone would probably be in a locked room. Arrow had a gut feeling telling him that it was probably protected by magic – anyone that entered the room would set off some sort of ward. The feeling manifested itself in an uncomfortable churning of his stomach, which he paused to suppress.

The next few rooms were likewise empty, but they were getting close to the common room where the hybrids were gathered. The closer they got the louder they would become. If they were human or witches, the sound of their heartbeats would have given them away within a split second.

Thankfully vampires didn't need to breathe. Nor did they have a heartbeat.

Arrow gestured again to a room and stared down the corridor, keeping to the shadows. Elijah rested his hand on the brass orb, turned it and pushed it, but the door clicked obstinately. It was locked.

_Fuck you, _it seemed to say.

To Arrow, that was a good sign. But breaking the door open was risky. If the Moonstone wasn't contained within then they were giving away their position and their only chance at obtaining it without a fight.

Shooing Elijah away, he pointed two fingers towards the floor and jerked his head. Those two movements together translated to, _stay here and keep watch._

Pulling out a pin, he crouched down and looked for a lock to pick. There was a keyhole and-

Arrow felt Elijah tap his shoulder. Lifting his head, he glanced over at his ally and suddenly froze. Footsteps were drawing closer – two sets.

They retreated into the last room, opening the door as quickly as they dared before creeping inside and shutting it behind them. They kept to the shadows at the opposite end of the room, ears straining to capture the footsteps.

Both froze when the door suddenly swung open and two hybrids staggered in. A man was pushed up forcefully against the wall; a woman pinning him there, her eyes alight with flame.

"We're alone," she panted. "Come on, or are you afraid?"

The male hybrid growled aggressively and struggled against her, throwing her to the floor and straddling her.

Arrow felt heat rise to his cheeks and he stared at Elijah. The same expression was on his face:

_We shouldn't have come in this room._

"You take her, I'll get him," Elijah mouthed to him silently, nodding at the couple. "Clean kill."

Arrow nodded, crept as quietly as he could to the door and nudged it shut. They were too busy to notice. Arrow circled around, using broken desks for cover, and seconds later they had pounced.

Hands as sharp as razors sliced through their skin, slipping between their rib cages to puncture their hearts in a clean, fluid motion. Arrow hushed the startled woman and gently lowered her to the floor, his hand clamped over her mouth. Elijah nodded to him, confirming that nobody had heard.

The two bodies would soon attract attention, as would the scent of blood. They needed to move quickly.

Slipping back through the corridor, Arrow wiped the blood clean from his hand on the man's crumpled shirt and returned to the locked room as Elijah shut the door behind him. It wouldn't mask the blood scent but it would delay it for a while at least.

"Get it open!" Elijah mouthed urgently, glaring across the corridor, his eyes widening.

Arrow manoeuvred the bobby pins into the lock and picked the lock, his head pressed against the door to make sure he didn't miss the click. He paused and waited for a second.

Laughter erupted downstairs, loud and rambunctious. Arrow used that moment to open the lock, throw the door open and sneak inside.

This room was just like the others. There was a wool mat stretched out across the floor, old, ugly and a multitude of clashing colours. Blue, green, red with white borders. There was nothing of interest inside.

_Have we wasted our time?_

Arrow turned to leave the room when he stepped on the mat. It creaked under his footstep and Elijah stared at him, his hackles rising. Arrow stared at the floor. Beneath them he could hear whispers of "_What was that?"_

"_Probably just Hugo and Kay making out," _mumbled one hybrid. _"They've been eyeing each other all night."_

"_Can't they stop necking each other for five seconds?" _Asked another.

"_Hey, go interrupt their fun time. Tell 'em the others are coming back."_

"_They'd better not stink of after-sex."_

Arrow threw back the rug and peered at the floorboards. There was a gap underneath them – he could see a dark box hidden there. As another set of footsteps came up, Elijah heaved the wood up slightly so that they could get to it.

The box was small but smelled of sandalwood. When Arrow reached in he suddenly felt ice crunch at his fingers and he recoiled.

"Vervain!" He mouthed.

Elijah pulled out a handkerchief, reached in and seized the box. The footsteps had stopped and were growing louder and faster – the scent of blood had entered the hallway. As the door crashed open to reveal the bodies of the hybrids, Arrow opened the lid.

There, inside, was the fabled Moonstone.

Arrow looked up and grinned at Elijah, then caught a flash of light in the corner of his eye and whirled around.

There in the doorway were two hovering black gems, staring straight at them, unmoving. Elijah wrapped the box up and shoved it into his pocket. Arrow took up a stance and snarled, baring his fangs at the intruder.

They'd been compromised!

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Kol leapt to his feet and nearly charged in when he heard a thunderous crash from inside the mansion. Had it not been for Rebekah holding him back, he would have. Anxious energy was lending him an abundance of strength and he twitched as he tried to free himself from his younger sister's grasp.

"Wait!" Hissed Rebekah. "Listen!"

Kol felt too hyped up to listen. He wanted to go in and start clawing the filthy faces off of the hybrids, but he forced himself to calm and do as his sister said.

"_Damn it, Kyle! Can't you be more careful?"_

"_He knocked me over! It's not my fault."_

"_Bullshit! You tripped. Stop blaming shit all on me."_

"_Wait! What's that?" _Silence. _"I smell blood."_

"_Yeah! Because I just cut my damn hand open!"_

"_Where's Jackie? Those two should be down by now."_

Another pause. The house fell eerily silent for a few heartbeats.

Kol again pulled at his sister's arm. "Let go!"

"Not yet!" Snapped Rebekah.

Kol glared at his sister. The group was either crouching or lying prone behind the trees, cloaked within shadows. Kol could count Damon, who lay beside Elena, who was crouching. Caroline and Tyler, then Duncan and...

"Where's Philip?" Hissed Kol.

Rebekah swirled around and tried to get a glimpse of the child vampire. Suddenly her eyes darkened. "He's not here! Did he go inside the house?"

"Well if I knew _that _I wouldn't have asked where he was!" Retorted Kol. Suddenly a howl erupted from within the house. "Can I go _now?"_

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Duncan watched as the upstairs wall exploded outwards and two bodies were flung outside, landing on the gravel. One immediately rose and howled a challenge to the attacker – the other remained lying, as if dazed. A third leapt out and immediately began pummelling the standing fighter with his fists, trying to knock him down.

Duncan heard and felt the wind whip around him as the group leapt from their positions to join the fray. It was two on three; Elijah and Arrow grappled with the furious hybrids, trying to keep them from getting back the Moonstone.

Philip charged from closer nearby the house, his eyes vicious and fangs extended. The child threw himself at the battle, swinging his foot around and knocking the feet from under the hybrid.

Suddenly there were ten more charging into the clearing. Leonard had warned them there would be bordering on fifteen. With two hybrids already dead, that left thirteen on ten. They were outnumbered.

Elena pressed against Damon's back, her face contorted into a mask of rage as she lashed out at a female hybrid. A flash of fur indicated that she had transformed. The large timber wolf snarled, jaws stretched in a vicious attempt to bite her arm in half. Damon flew half way across the clearing with a surprised but angry yowl.

Before it could sink its poisonous teeth into his arm, he had kicked his feet up into its belly and sent it crashing into a tree. Damon leapt to his feet, chased after it and ripped out its heart before it could recover from its daze.

"Behind you!" Shouted Philip. Elena barely had the time to move. She fell back; teeth snapped right in front of her face and the wolf landed on her chest, knocking the breath out of her. Twigs dug into her back and she reached back on impulse, hurling a fistful of dirt into the werewolf's eyes. It let out a half-bark, half-whimper of protest and tried to shake the grit from its eyes. Elena grabbed the dagger from her belt and plunged it into its throat.

Blood bubbled at its snout and it writhed angrily on the ground. Though it would quickly heal, Elena reached back her hand and slashed at its shoulder – only to be met with empty air.

Philip leapt over, raised his fist and delivered a crushing blow to its skull. The werewolf thrashed for a few moments and then lay still.

Duncan saw a red wolf, head lowered and lips pulled back into a snarl, creeping up behind Caroline as she struggled with a werewolf. It was snapping at her heels, giving her no time to fight back. He squinted, picturing a mass of red balloons bursting, and suddenly the red wolf started howling in agony and writhing on the ground.

Pain infliction. Very useful against vampires, he found. And werewolves too, it seemed. Or maybe it was just hybrids.

Elijah reached for a broken floorboard, scooped it up and snapped the edge off of it. Splinters dug into his hands. Fur and blood were flying everywhere – nobody had died in their group yet, though he could smell Elena's blood trickling from a nick on her wrist.

As the grey wolf lunged at him, Arrow yanked hard on its tail and stopped it in mid air before turning to face his own opponent. Elijah kicked upwards, the force bowling the wolf over. As it crashed to the floor he came down on top of it. The wood punctured the skin like a nail would a car tyre and he cracked the hybrid's neck sharply to the right, ending its life swiftly.

Something crashed into his side and he was knocked to the ground. There was a large black wolf grappling with a smaller silver one in a frenzy of fur and claws. They rolled over like an oversized dust ball in the breeze, echoing with dreadful snarls and threats that only a wolf could understand.

Kol was facing two at once. Whether he was being brave or stupid, Elijah couldn't tell – he went to his brother's side and punched at one of the hybrids, who had remained in her human form. While Kol dealt with a timber wolf, Elijah knocked his enemy back in a series of well placed kicks that overwhelmed the hybrid and sent her running for cover.

Damon, seeing the enemy running away, abandoned where he was fighting beside Caroline and tackled her to the ground. Elijah ran over; the human vanished, replaced startlingly quickly by a small white Arctic wolf. The original yanked Damon backwards just as the wolf snapped at his throat. Teeth sunk into his arm and he snarled with rage, spinning hard enough that the wolf's iron grip ripped straight through his wrist and the beast crashed into Tyler, in his wolf form, and the ebony wolf he fought with. They sprung apart. The dark one tried to flee but succeeded in running straight into Elena's waiting arms – one hand sinking a dagger straight into its chest.

"Duncan!" Cried Philip suddenly.

Elijah and Arrow whirled around. A bitter, large silver wolf with scars criss-crossing across his forelegs and chest was stalking straight for the warlock.

Suddenly it leapt back, as if startled. Duncan's eyes landed on him. The silver wolf reared up on its hind legs and erupted in a shrieking ginger fireball. Duncan's eyes remained on it, cold and calculating, making sure not to set the trees or ground on fire.

"Good one Dunc!" Kol laughed gleefully. There were few hybrids left; five- four. Damon had just dispatched another.

The white Arctic wolf that had tried to tear out Damon's throat was darting in between Caroline and Arrow, trying to bite them both. Arrow jumped out of the way of its snapping jaws and Caroline lunged, trying to grab it by the scruff.

A low, chilling wail erupted from its bloodied throat. It seemed to be calling for something – or someone – as it tried to escape from its enemy. It convulsed violently as if fitting and started trying to reach down and bite into Caroline's wrists. The vampire was having a very hard time holding it. Her body thumped against the broken winter leaves. A cacophony of sounds from the nearby zoo erupted, having heard the battle.

"Finish them off! Let's go!" Elijah shouted over the howling wind. Duncan was putting out the silver wolf, whose body was furless and as black as charcoal from the fire.

Arrow kicked the Arctic wolf back and tried to grab it by the scruff. It wheeled around on its paws and snapped at Philip, who barely had time to get out of the way. The small canine took a loping run in pursuit, bounding after the child vampire who whooped and ran away as if getting chased by dangerous wild beasts was an everyday occurrence for him.

A silver wisp cannoned into the she-wolf's side and sent her sprawling across the ground. She screeched as Tyler gave her a nasty bite to the shoulder. Her strength was starting to fade.

"That must be the alpha female of the pack," Caroline panted. "Quick! Do a head count. How many bodies are there?"

"Kol and Elena are fighting with that big grey one... The white one... There should be thirteen bodies. One, two..."

Rebekah stiffened. "There are only twelve!"

"Someone's escaped!" Elijah roared. "Find them!"

Philip looked around, wild-eyed, his forehead dripping with blood. The wound had already sealed shut. He could see a retreating shadow racing up towards the rocks, towards the distant road.

"There!" He shouted back and took off after the escaping werewolf.

Tyler abandoned his battle and raced on ahead, intent on trying to get to the wolf. He heard a yelp abruptly cut off, which told his sensitive ears and burning muscles that the snowy she-wolf had died.

Suddenly the escapee stopped and crashed onto the ground, wailing and screeching. Duncan had cast his pain infliction spell upon all remaining wolves, giving them a few crucial moments to deal the final blow.

Tyler snarled and mercilessly ripped out the throat of the wolf. It gargled, blood bubbling up in its mouth, staring up at him with pain and betrayal written all over its face. The werewolf stared back, suddenly horrified at his own actions, and watched as the large wolf's head fell back. It was dead.

He barely had enough time to realise what was going on when he felt a rough hand shove him. Arrow was beside him, pulling him up by the arms. Tyler didn't even realise he'd transformed back into a human.

"We need to leave! Quickly!" Arrow urged, "There are humans coming!"


	23. Call of the Wild

Kol heard the rock slide of feet coming before he saw the torches dance like cold suns in the distance. Immediately they started to panic. The original whipped his hands together like a thunderclap on earth and back flipped, switching into his animal avatar instantly.

"_Over here! I heard the sound of wolves!"_ Shouted the voice of a woman in French. _"They must have escaped their enclosure!"_

Kol jumped, screeched and bolted for the first person he could see – Elena. He snatched her up in strong teeth, threw her onto his back and charged towards the forest. Tyler, pushed sharply ahead by Arrow, pursued them.

Rebekah looked at her brother urgently. "We'll head for Moscow. Don't wait for us!" She transformed, grabbed a hold of Duncan's shirt in predatory teeth and shouldered her way through the trees with him clinging to her back.

Elijah, Damon, Philip, Caroline and Arrow remained. As the humans ran closer and closer, Philip yipped, grabbed onto Caroline's wrist and dragged her away, wild-eyed. "Meet you in Sydney!" He called back.

"Run! Quickly!"

Damon ran behind Elijah and Arrow. Giant paws rumbled behind him suddenly and he glanced back in time to see a massive grizzly bear lumbering into the tree line, through the darkness and into the night.

Elijah glanced over his shoulder to Damon to make sure he was still there. "Transform into your avatar!"

Damon did so, becoming a sleek, large crow within heartbeats. He rose into the air, dodging and weaving around the thick trunks of trees, feeling their branches scrape his feathers. Screams of terror rose into the cold night – the humans had found the wolves.

He glanced down. Elijah was still running. He was about to call after him when the original suddenly jumped, flying like a rocket over him, twisted forwards and vanished in a plume of mist.

Damon found an opening in the tree tops and he squeezed through it, getting higher up so he looked down upon the new form of Elijah.

A massive bird burst out of the mist, flapping its wings with a mighty screech and soaring high up towards the clouds in a steep rise. It was a Wedge-tailed Eagle, bigger than average with rich chocolate feathers and calculating beady eyes. One that Damon knew well.

"Don't stray, fledgeling!" The eagle warned, pushing himself higher and higher until the clouds hugged his body.

Damon found himself numb to the wind that buffeted his body and the icy rain that battered him like rocks of hail. They flew for several minutes in complete silence, moving slowly and carefully in the wind. It was so cold the rain felt like snow and quickly started to seep through the gaps in his feathers to nip at his wing tips.

As the storm ravaged the world outside the two birds sought refuge in an overhang of the Eiffel Tower. It was a massive golden spire in the cloak of the night. They were huddled together beneath a large metal beam that offered scarce protection.

Lightning outside scorched the tops of houses and sent explosive power surging down into the earth. The turmoil on the outside of the world was also reflected beneath the metal, in the form of a large black crow.

"You're the nestling of the Dark One," he croaked, wings sagging and eyes heavy with defeat. "You're the nestling of the Dark One... And you never... Even... Told me."

The raptor shifted on the cold metal. There was nowhere he could move without dragging his back and sides against the tower. "Would you have preferred it if I had?" He asked, forced to press against the metal. "You still would have reacted like this. You trust me more than you ever have, young nightfeather. And I trust you."

"Did you even care?" The crow went on, oblivious, looking grimly into the raptor's eyes. "Or did you just use me so that you could spy on me? On her? I told you everything. My secrets, my fears, my plans... all along you were – _are _the same one I loathed."

The raptor gazed out across the grand city of Paris, his eyes calm and dull with tiredness. "If I hadn't cared, do you think I would have supported you for all these seasons? At the time I met you I had no idea there was another like her. I have not had a reason to spy on you. And if I was, don't you think I would have used your weaknesses against you by now? Or possibly even killed you?"

The crow whirled around as much as he could in the confined space. "Then why?" He demanded. "Why didn't you tell me who you were? Who you _are?_"

"At that time we had only just met. The Dark One was still chasing after me and I could hardly drag you into something dangerous you had nothing to do with. Now it is different." Reasoned the raptor, clicking his beak and ruffling his russet feathers against the cold. "My aim is and always has been to wipe Klaus off the face of this planet and watch his ashes carry away in the winds of the battlefield for all the sins he has committed."

The crow fell silent, staring straight ahead of him – anywhere to avoid meeting Elijah's eyes. An uneasy silence fell, and was only broken when the raptor commented:

"And about the time I stabbed you with the pen, that was your fault. You _did_ challenge me."

Despite his conflict, Damon couldn't help but snort in amusement. He clicked his beak. "I still hate you for that." He muttered.

The raptor scoffed teasingly. "Well it _was_ your fault. Honestly, you're hardly out of the nest. Fledgelings these days think they know everything. Taking on someone like me – I thought you had feathers for brains."

"Takes one to know one," Damon muttered. He was rewarded by a sharp nip on the shoulder. "Hey!"

The raptor puffed out his chest and dug his talons tighter into the metal. "As soon as this storm ceases we have a long journey to make. The moonstone may be ours but the second item still awaits."

"Sydney, Australia," the crow reminded himself. "How long will that take?"

"We have to fly under the protection of the night, else the humans will spot us and the news of a stray raptor and crow will spread like disease," the raptor thought aloud, gazing up at the sky. "And we will need to rest and touch down often to feed and replenish our strength."

"Featherdown!" The crow suddenly cawed. "Our equipment! We left it behind!"

Concern seeped into the raptor's oak eyes for a split second. "I saw Arrow snatch it up in his beak as he ran. That means we will definitely have to stop – a lot more often than necessary. And it also means we will need to avoid werewolves like bird flu, fledgeling. I may not be affected by their venom but you will be. I don't have any anti-venom with me."

"When is the next silver-eye?" Asked the crow worriedly.

The raptor's tail feathers flickered out and he shifted, lowering himself onto the cold metal under him. "Six weeks from two suns ago will be the time when the two great eyes go blind. That means just before half-eye, silver-eye will be full. However hybrids can turn whenever it suits their need. Even so I have seen them more active during the time of silver-eye..."

"Like a habit?" Asked the crow. "Maybe something in silver-eye affects hybrids still." It would make sense. Their vampire body would probably enhance that old urge like a subconscious habit.

"You have lived next to one. The silver wolf with us. Has he behaved differently on those nights?"

The crow shrugged, flapping his wings to chase away the rain. "He never comes to my nest when silver-eye is full."

"Probably he is turning," murmured the raptor, shaking his head. "In which case the others may have a difficult time containing him..."

"But I thought hybrids don't have to turn on silver-eye." The crow tilted his head.

The raptor blinked away the water from his eyes. "Needing and wanting to do something are not the same. He might not be forced to but the urge would still be there, young nightfeather."

"Why do you do that?" Asked the crow. "Call me nightfeather?"

"Because your feathers are as dark as the night," replied the raptor, staring at him. "And you have no name. Haven't you decided on one yet?"

The crow opened his beak to say something, then shut it with a click and turned away. "I was hoping you would give me one before... But..."

"I can," the raptor chirruped casually. "If you want. I also need a name. You could grace me with one."

The crow stared at him pointedly. "Fine. As long as you don't call me something stupid like... Like Spot_. _Or Caw."

The raptor huffed. "You have no spots. Trust you to think badly of me." There was a few minutes of silence where all they did was look out across Paris, thinking of what to call the other.

"Your no-wing name is Damon. That is similar to Demon." Thought the raptor out loud. His words attracted the crow's attention. "If I coax some of my human memories forward, I can think of only this. Satin silk can be black and your feathers are glossy beneath the moonlight... Satan and Demon are similar in word to Satin and Damon. That and crows are seen as omens of bad luck..."

"So you're going to call me Satin?" Questioned the crow.

"It seems fitting and appropriate," murmured the raptor. "What chirp you?"

Satin looked away. "Fine by me. And I think I will hail you as Northstar."

"Northstar?"

"The first time we met there was a star to the north. You were staring at it, like you wanted to reach up and pluck it from the sky. When you left, you flew towards it. Haven't you noticed? You always fly north when you can." Satin cawed. "And look. Up there."

Northstar angled his sharp beak skywards. To the north a star shone bright like a candle, like a flame in a dark room surrounded by mist.

Satin nodded at it decisively. "There are some things obvious about you, but some things of a complete mystery. And some that are just starting to peek out from the mist." Other stars were blinking distantly, faintly, into view. "So, how about it? Satin and Northstar's journey to Australia! It's all exciting, isn't it?"

Northstar shook his head and craned his neck to preen his wing. "So many season I've known you. How come I've not gone mad?"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Caroline and Philip ran swiftly until they reached the sea, depleting their Power reserves, but ensuring their safety. As their feet touched down on the sand, Philip wheeled around on his heel and stretched out his senses, both searching for any sign of the werewolves, and for any sign of their friends.

Caroline huffed and narrowed her eyes against the silver glare of the ripples of the tide. It didn't take her long to notice that they were alone.

"This coastal storm," Philip growled, shaking the water from his body, "It's going to go on for hours! Caroline, we have to keep moving."

"We reek of werewolf blood," Caroline spat, sniffing disgustedly at her clothing. "Great! Now any werewolf for the next few miles will be out looking for us."

"We have to break the trail," Philip stared at the water thoughtfully. "We have to head to Sydney, Australia, to meet up with Elijah." He sighed. "But that'll take days... We're gonna have to swim. The water will wash away the blood."

There was a moment of silence as the two regarded each other, and then leapt at the lapping tide and cartwheeled in the shallow waters. Within seconds, Atlantis was kicking off with his tail fin, heading out into the open sea.

A Grey Nurse Shark jumped from the salty, milky froth and wriggled out after the dolphin, jaws parted and eyes sharp. As it got away from the shallow waters and out into deeper seas, Atlantis moved up beside her, clicking his tongue.

"Swimming around is the best option," squeaked Atlantis, reaching out with his sonar to get a better sense of his surroundings. "What's your name? I'm Atlantis."

"I don't have one." As the shark spoke, her voice was a husky growl. "...But I guess you can call me Thalassa."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Sumatra huffed as he reached the end of a stone path and slowed his pace to a stop. Crickets chirped from the trees around them and a stray owl hooted, but otherwise they were completely alone.

Elena clung to his neck, her hair windswept. Anyone to see her startled expression, her wide eyes and fluffed up chocolate mane, would have laughed at her. Straddling the massive stallion felt like sitting on a barrel with legs. It was uncomfortable, bordering on painful. That and her fingers had become tangled in his caramel mane, causing him to whinny in annoyance as she tried to detach herself from him.

"We must still be in the park," she realised. Sumatra snorted and stomped his foot. Elena translated that into, _get the fuck off me now. _Of course, she wasn't going to argue. The horse wasn't just big, but one kick could probably total a car.

She got off even quicker when she remembered that it was Kol she was sitting on and not any regular stallion. She jumped and pressed up against him, her hand on her dagger, as she saw a flash of gold and angry, predatory eyes peeking out from the shadows of the bushes.

Aura padded out, her chin high, with Duncan on her back. She looked relatively relaxed now that they were out of danger.

And on the other side, a great bear lumbered out on thick legs with a greeting growl. Elena suddenly felt uneasy, and confused. She was standing in a clearing with a warlock child who looked younger than her but as actually a few times her age and three vampires that had taken the forms of a Lijagulep, a wild stallion and a grizzly bear.

And, what's more, was that they seemed to be talking to each other.

Elena heard it as a series of whinnies, snorts, growls, roars and hisses. Duncan was sitting on the ground, cross legged, picking absently at his nails and acting as if this happened all of the time.

Suddenly there was a flash of gold, and the spotted she-cat had turned into Rebekah, clad in tight black leather, her expression a mixture of concern, determination and seriousness.

"We've been split up from the others," she said. "According to Arrow, Damon and Elijah are going to travel together to Australia by flying. Philip and Caroline are going by sea. That leaves us lot as the second group. Plus Tyler, but I haven't found him yet..."

"We have more people on our side than they do on theirs," Elena said. "But isn't their mission more important? Shouldn't we send someone after them to help?"

"No," said Rebekah firmly. "We can't afford to get split up any further at the moment. We're going to go to Moscow to the Khimki forest. We need to pass on a message to some old friends of Elijah's."

"What about the second-in-command?" The Warlock asked. "Caroline was it for this team but she's not here. Who's second-in-command?"

"Arrow will be, since he went in the house with Elijah. He's proved he's capable so I don't see why not." The bear looked briefly surprised, then nodded, his mind set on his new role. "I'll lead, of course. I've travelled to Russia before."

"There's something else, isn't there?" Duncan lifted his head, his eyes darkening. "Arrow wasn't carrying that bag before. One of the groups hasn't got any equipment, or any antidote." The look on the warlock's face combined with his apparent age made for an unnerving combination.

Rebekah nodded, tying back her hair. "Damon and Elijah took off without grabbing their things. Whatever they do, they're on their own, so they'll need to be careful."

Kol whinnied and stomped his foot impatiently. Rebekah slapped his thigh and he let out a frustrated bellow, knocking her shoulder with his head.

"Okay, okay. Settle down!" Rebekah growled. "We need to start travelling. We'll walk to the edge of the forest here and head back to Paris. We've only got enough for one trip by plane, so I'm afraid we're walking to Moscow. We'll stop at the hotel for the night and move on in the morning."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Dawn cast new light over the streets of Paris, announcing the passing of the storm. Northstar and Satin were huddled at the top of the Eiffel Tower, their heads tucked into their chests and soft feathers dry enough to fly.

Northstar stirred as the sun blared out from around a cloud, shooting light at him. The wedge-tailed eagle blinked the sleep from his eyes and lifted his head, gazing out across the capital of France.

Today would mark the beginning of the second journey – the passage to Australia. They'd have to fly over the ocean and over land, but he was certain they'd make it without incident. They were both strong and fast, capable of flying at speeds that would rival a jet, courtesy of their vampire sides.

"Satin," he hissed quietly, giving the resting crow a gentle nudge. "Wake, fledgeling. We need to fly out of France before the Werewolves spot us." The eagle inched away from Satin as he stirred. "Come on. Preen yourself and let's go."

They were both soft and warm from sleep. Their minds were waking slowly and their bellies a little bit faster. They'd need to feed after they'd crossed the border... Perhaps a motorist or a traffic patrol would do the trick. Someone that wouldn't be noticed.

They quickly sorted their feathers and stretched their wings, which was difficult considering the girders sandwiching them. They both smelled distinctly of damp but neither said a word out of politeness. Once they got moving, they wouldn't notice it. They could bathe later.

Northstar was the first in the air. His primaries were all in line and the wind was relaxing from the aftershock of the storm, but easily enough to carry them both safely. He'd planned it through before he'd fallen asleep. They'd fly to the farthest edge of Italy and stop for the day there before crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Egypt. They needed to get as far as possible during the night and stop at the day to rest. It would give them time to feed, sleep, maybe even find something to occupy their time with.

"The storm has washed away the scent of blood," Northstar said as they headed into the clouds. "But that doesn't mean we won't be seen. Satisfying your hunger will have to wait until we reach Italy."

Satin nodded. The two flew high up above the clouds, heading south-east, with the suns on their backs and path stretched out in front of them.


	24. Began with a Promise

Landing at the far reaches of Italy had taken a lot out of them both. Walking through the streets, inhaling the scents of the humans was torturous, and the urge to feast on their blood was growing ever more powerful. Elijah twice had to pull Damon away from doing something stupid. His ability to suppress the urges had developed over time so he could last longer, but a vampire as young as Damon...

Of course, this _was_ Damon Salvatore, and whenever Damon took a step forward he'd somehow trip over his own two feet or attempt to severely mutilate or torture someone. Elijah could hear him shuffling restlessly on his feet. He could literally hear the blood rushing through veins and it was like dangling a bottle of cold water in front of a human who'd been stranded in the desert for several days. There was a hungry glint in Damon's eye, like a single star in the sky, and he'd seen it before. It spelled danger.

"Don't do anything stupid." He growled quietly, making sure Damon heard him. A suitable blood donor was lurking in the peripheral of his vision; a young man, probably about twenty years of age. While he sat at the cafe with his friends he hardly spoke. Elijah feigned window shopping, staring at the man's reflection in the glass, and circled around, heading towards said café.

Damon must have picked up on it, because he hung back, watching him advance. Elijah slowed, pulled out his phone and drew closer to the table. Thankfully it was right beside the door so he had an excuse balancing on the tip of his tongue.

_Crash!_

The boys sprung up from the table and stared at him wide-eyed, as he walked into one of the chairs they sat on. The boy had practically set himself up, balancing on the hind two legs. He could hear the unspoken words already, ready to explode from their mouths.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He apologised in smooth Italian, pulling the fallen boy to his feet. "I knocked over your drink... I'll buy you another one. If you'll come this way?"

Mission complete, he deposited his phone back in his pocket and guided the dripping man into the bathroom of the café. The cream walls made it look smaller than it actually was and there were few stalls, but he wouldn't need one for this.

"I'll just get you some tissues. I'm so sorry about this." He smiled charmingly and reached into the stall. As he passed them to his target, he released a low hiss between his teeth. It was akin to a dog whistle. Damon heard it and shouldered his way through the door a few seconds later.

In one swift movement he had him pinned against the wall, sinking slightly yellowed fangs into his throat, growling and sucking as much blood as he could. Elijah watched carefully how the Salvatore elder fed. He was vicious, unrelenting, almost insane. His instinct and need clouded all ration, and he knew if he didn't step in, his victim would end up dead.

"Enough!" He yanked Damon back after a few seconds. Their eyes locked briefly as Damon wheeled around, challenging him. Elijah had a solid grip on his arm that would have bent steel. Even if Damon got a good grip, the original's bones were stronger than his. Maybe he could cause some discomfort, but there was no way he'd break even a finger.

After a few moments, the ruthless insanity in Damon's eyes faded into recognition, then submission. He backed up, as if he were an animal allowing Elijah the right to eat first, and started to wash the blood from his face.

"Remember nothing of this," Elijah murmured quietly, locking his will with the victim's. The pupils in his eyes shrunk and he nodded dumbly under the effects of the compulsion. Then Elijah helped the weakened man to dry the coffee from his clothes and bought him another drink as payment for his blood loss.

Damon looked and felt stronger than he had been before. He wandered around as Elijah stalked off somewhere to get something to sate his hunger with, but the daylight would still last a few hours yet. There was no point in getting any sleep, and they'd be flying again as soon as night fell.

"So then, I've a question for you." Damon murmured as they walked through the streets of Italy. He had to admit, since he'd last been here, it seemed relatively unchanged. The streets were still the same, but a few shops had changed. Where there had been a high quality clothing store, there was now a charity shop, and a restaurant sat where a public bathroom once resided.

"By all means, go ahead..." Elijah prompted after a moment of silence. Damon had become distracted by what Elijah assumed was his own reflection. His eyes were locked on shop windows and signs.

"Do you remember the time we almost got grounded by that sandstorm?"

Elijah blinked. His lip quirked the tiniest bit, even a vampire would have trouble noticing the subtle movement. "Of course. We were flying over the desert... How could I forget? It was probably the most entertaining part of that adventure. You got drunk on 'cactus juice' and hallucinated for quite some time."

Damon snorted indignantly. "It's not my fault."

"I warned you not to touch the cactuses." Elijah pointed out. "The things that came out of your mouth... Some very interesting-"

"Don't remind me." Growled the young vampire. "Anyway, what I really want to know is why you're doing this."

"Elaborate."

Damon looked around with his ears and stopped by the side of a parked car. "Why you are trying to kill your own brother, I mean. I don't know if I asked you before but tell me again."

Elijah frowned for a moment. There was a park nearby with a bench that they could sit on, where they wouldn't be bothered. Damon's trust wasn't completely placed in him yet – there were still many things that he wanted to know, or felt conflicted about. Even though they'd known each other for ten years, finding out about his true identity must have been equivalent to a very nasty kick in the balls.

He sat down on the wooden bench. There was an inscription carved in gold-painted metal that said something about love and honesty, but they weren't really paying attention to it.

"It all began with a promise..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Walking to Moscow from Paris was starting to sound like the stupidest idea possible, like buying a jet ski and trying to drive it through a cemetery with no water. Aura sighed exasperatedly as she glanced over her shoulder, padding through the woods at the head of the patrol.

Tyler had shown up eventually, though they'd had to wait for him to arrive back at the hotel. The werewolf had been upset about attacking other wolves, and it had taken them a while to convince him into realising that they would have killed him had he not acted first. However the hybrid was hanging back, his eyes troubled and anxiety evident. He was worried about Caroline.

Aura sighed, lifted her head and flicked one of her ears dismissively. Arrow was plodding along beside her, his movements sleepy and heavy. The bear was helping her look out for signs of humans, even though it was unlikely there would be any around here.

Arrow was a complete mystery to her though. His shoulder-length blond hair and crystal blue eyes were enchanting. There was no denying it, he was drop dead gorgeous, and seemed to have a good personality too.

"How did you meet my littermate?" She asked, shouldering her way through the gorse and clearing a fallen log in a single bound.

Arrow followed at a sluggish pace, but his mind worked faster than he looked. Much faster. And he could run just as fast as well if he wanted. "We met in a forest, just like this one," he replied. "Quite some time ago."

"How long?" Aura prompted. She paused, glancing over her shoulder to check the group was keeping up.

Arrow looked uncomfortable. He shuffled on his paws and grunted at a badger as it scurried out of the way. "Over five hundred years ago," he said reluctantly, and made no more comment.

Aura didn't press him. It was something he wasn't willing to talk about, and he'd been civil. That didn't stop her curiosity though. "Who turned you?"

Arrow passively avoided meeting her gaze. There was something grim in the tone of his voice as he growled, "My parents."

Aura's jaws clicked shut in understanding. "Yeah, I think that happens a lot. My parents turned me, too." She meowed, and started walking again. "Elijah's never spoken of you. Tell me about yourself. Any loved ones? Family? Five hundred years is a long time to walk without someone by your side."

"Yes, I have a companion," Arrow sighed, clambering over a small trench in the ground. "I would have asked them to come but I couldn't endanger them like that..."

"So, what's their name?"

Arrow smiled. "Alex."

"Nice name," Aura nodded. "...Why don't you tell me your real name? Arrow is a nickname, right? Does Elijah know your real name?"

Arrow kneaded the ground with heavy paws. "Elijah knows, yes. He's known since we first met." He answered. "Tell me about yourself." The obvious attempt to change the topic didn't escape Aura. "I thought you didn't like the human girl. You seem pretty lax about letting her travel with us."

"Yeah well I told Elijah I'd put up with her," Aura grunted. She unsheathed and sheathed her claws impatiently. "And besides, I can't be bothered arguing with her for the entire trip. Elijah wants her intact with no missing limbs."

"You'll have a hard time," laughed Arrow. "I've seen you glare at her so many times already. The tension is obvious."

Aura snorted, shoved him and trotted on ahead.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The waters were dark and unforgiving. Atlantis swam closer to Thalassa, reaching out with his sonar every few minutes to check around them. So far they'd stopped to hunt, and they were swimming around the earth to Sydney. Right now he guessed they were somewhere near Portugal in the North Atlantic ocean.

For the past hour they'd been swimming with the aid of their vampire speed, but during that time, Atlantis had become acutely aware of shadows popping in and out of his sonar range in the distance. Whenever he would stop and turn to check what they were, they'd scurry away, out of his field of sight, and return to stalking them whenever the started moving again.

Thalassa was getting used to swimming now. The awkward left to right movements of her tail had sunk in and she was finding it a lot easier to manage. Atlantis had encouraged her to keep lower in the water so that they wouldn't be seen by the things that swam above the ocean.

But the shadows were a nagging presence in his mind.

He whirled around again, clicking before he'd completed the turn, sending out a pulse with his tongue. Again, Thalassa swam on ahead, getting used to his frequent pauses. She'd guessed that he was just paranoid being so far away from friendly waters, but Atlantis wasn't paranoid.

He caught one of the shadows, read it and shot after Thalassa, moving quickly. "Sharks," he chirped, tossing his head to signal behind them. "They've been stalking us for a while now. Can you swim faster?"

Thalassa nodded and increased her speed. "We must be in their territory, and they must be hungry. As long as we swim and don't get hurt, they shouldn't attack us, especially since I'm with you."

Atlantis opened his mouth to reply, but he heard a low growl in the distance. "Dolphin-friend," one of the shadows hissed.

"I don't think they care," Atlantis squeaked and shot forward, hoping to outrun the sharks.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Alaric winced as Meredith injected him with some more painkillers, feeling a slight chill in the vein of his arm as the foreign liquid squeezed through the stream of blood. It would take a few minutes for them to work but the pain was already dull. He'd been too focused on trying to remember what had happened.

Esther, the cemetery... He could figure that much. He remembered walking into some sort of tomb, like he wasn't in his own mind, and then nothing. It just faded when he saw her crooked smile. The smile that made him shiver with cold beneath several comforters.

He groaned as the painkillers dulled his senses. Meredith was using something that made him sleepy too – it was her way of ensuring that he didn't flaunt the hospital protocol, like she knew he would, and walk around. Stefan Salvatore was due to drop in for a visit but Alaric didn't think he'd be awake to see him. Meredith had been insistent that he receive no visitors until he was strong enough to talk.

Of course, being pumped up with sedatives made it harder for that to happen.

Doctor Sloan was a good man, he'd found. When Meredith was busy with other patients, he'd drop in and check on him, play some music, even offered him a game of chess before he went home for the night. Alaric was thankful that he wasn't just some half-assed doctor who only did the job for the money, and had little interest in helping the patients themselves. Those kinds of doctors often did shoddy jobs and had bad bedside manners. That and they really ticked him off.

Rhys was a doctor like that, who had come in every day to change his sheets and bring him his food. He also helped him to change and bathe, and was assigned his personal caretaker. Alaric hated him the second he walked through the door, with his pompous attitude. He hadn't assisted him with anything. He'd manhandled the poor bloke, giving him orders and moving so quickly that Alaric winced every time he lifted his arms to slip the robes off. He just wanted to get the job done, he didn't want to make it painless.

Immature as it may be, Alaric had taken to flipping Rhys off whenever he turned his back or pulling weird faces. He found it helped with the boredom, and the risk of getting caught wasn't just worth it, but it made him feel energetic. Until Meredith sedated him again, of course.

Sleeping wasn't so bad when he did it on his own terms. Forcibly sleeping because of his girlfriend sucked. There were better ways he wanted to spend his time, and completely screwing with his internal clock wasn't one of them.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round, up and down..." He carolled, trying to convey just how bored and desperate he was to his girlfriend. His puppy eyes weren't working when she was in surgeon mode. When she wasn't, though, just talking to her made him feel better.

She glanced at him over her shoulder as she put the syringe back on the tray to be disposed of. There was a look of mocking pity and amusement laughing behind her irises, and her lips quirked in a slight smile that betrayed her and encouraged him, even though she tried to coax him into lying down and relaxing.

"Blehhh," he stuck out his tongue, which was a pasty white in colour on the top. Meredith snorted and flicked his nose, making him flinch reflexively. He leaned up to try and kiss her, but she planted a hand on his face and literally pushed him back down.

"You're not kissing me until you've washed your mouth out. Did you brush your teeth this morning?" She asked. She'd seen disgusting things in her time on the job, but this was something new. As Alaric shook his head, pouting in exaggerated misery, she rolled her eyes and gave him a short peck on the cheek. It was the sort of kiss an old woman would give her grandchild. "I'll find Rhys."

"Noooooo," Alaric whined, his pout deepening.

Meredith stared at him pointedly. "Fine. I'll get Doctor Sloan. Jesus..."

Alaric nodded like an excited child, the pout instantly disappearing from his face. As he watched her leave with the tray in her hands, he reached over to his table and pulled off a teddy bear that Meredith had jokingly bought him, hugging it to his chest.

He had to admit, acting like a child was fun. He'd have to get hospitalised more often.


	25. Danger Zone

"You carry it."

"_You_ carry it."

"No, _you_ carry it!"

"Why don't you both shut up?" Snapped Rebekah. She glared at the two behind her, but they weren't listening.

Kol had his trademark danger-smirk, as it had been called, and was locking eyes with Tyler Lockwood with amusement in his dark eyes.

Tyler, on the other hand, looked frustrated and tired, and not in the mood for his travel companion's games. His dark hair was ruffled and oily, his clothes were dusty and he was hungry.

Kol was bored, and when Kol got bored he would do anything for entertainment. Being stuck for a week travelling to Moscow with five other people got boring pretty fast and, despite promising Elijah he'd behave, he quickly found himself seeking a thrill in provoking his team mates.

"I've been carrying it all day! You carry it." Tyler shoved the rucksack at him. Kol dumped it back on his head unceremoniously and grinned.

Rebekah, Kol found, ignored him whenever he tried something and then broke out with the death threats. Naturally this invited him into doing more and more in an attempt to get the attention that he craved, but eventually he'd decided to try Arrow instead.

Arrow, however, dismissed him without even waving his hand. No matter what Kol had tried, he just wouldn't anger. Sticks were tangled in his darkening blond locks from where Kol had smacked him with a random tree branch, but he'd just looked over his shoulder at him and continued walking.

Kol quickly translated this into meaning, Arrow's a pushover.

Elena he hadn't bothered with. She was admiring the landscape and he really didn't want to end up hurting her, because Rebekah would kill him if Elijah didn't first. Duncan was busy trying to figure out where they were, so that left Tyler, who was dragging along their luggage like a good little slave.

Oh boy. And Tyler got riled up pretty quickly. Kol liked him.

"Look, you obviously have too much energy." Ah, here comes the reasoning. "Why don't you burn some of it off? I want to find something to eat."

"Asking for help is unmanly." Kol replied simply, shrugging. "Your face is unmanly." Crude joke, but it paved the way for even better things to come.

Tyler growled deep in his throat. It was a feral growl that caused Elena to swerve away from him to join up with Duncan instead. It didn't affect Kol in the slightest. In fact, it encouraged him.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice, okay?"

"Okay." Kol interrupted, but Tyler carried on.

"I've carried your bags and stuff to give you time to rest. Now don't you think you should start helping out?"

"Not really."

"Okay, then how about this." There was a thud as Tyler threw the bags onto the ground. "Either you pick them up or we carry on without it."

"I vote, 'slave carries bags'." Kol shrugged. He nudged them with his foot and leered at the hybrid tauntingly. "I mean you've done nothing but mope and keep to yourself these past few days. Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Dead and buried," Duncan called back flatly, folding his arms. "Like the two of you will be if you don't stop arguing."

Rebekah was glaring at them both from up ahead. Kol shrugged, grinned and stomped on ahead, turning swiftly into his animal avatar.

Sumatra stomped his foot and ran alongside Elena. She'd said she was getting tired an hour ago, so he decided that rather than helping Tyler, he'd help her instead. He lay down and waited as she guessed about what he wanted, then stood up when she was sitting on his back.

The sensation of being ridden was unnatural to him and his first thought was to kick her off and stomp on her face. But then he remembered that he'd got her to mount him, and he pushed that urge away, as tempting as it was. He carried on at a lazy walk, his stride long and tail whipping against his haunches. Soon enough the doppelgänger was lying on his back, seemingly asleep.

_When you wake up,_ thought Sumatra, _I'll sleep on your back. See how you like it._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena had her chin on her hand, which was on the chocolate stallion's neck. Each step caused her to rock back and forth like a boat knocked by churning waves, except they were walking through yet another forest, not the ocean. The tree scenery had been interesting at first. Now it was just boring. They'd crossed several borders in the span of the past few weeks. Duncan and Elena had been carried for the most part while the vampires sped over the earth.

As they walked, she found herself staring at Arrow, and she lifted her head briefly. Something about him bothered her, and she hadn't realised it until now. Something he'd said a while ago about him being protected from werewolf venom.

Yes, that was it. He said they didn't need to worry about him because he had protection. He hadn't been bitten yet – if he had, she hadn't seen it, and he hadn't shown the typical signs of _dying_. But he hadn't said anything else. He hadn't offered an explanation as to why, and nobody else either noticed or cared.

But what could protect him from werewolf venom? She looked at his hands. There were two rings on his fourth finger, one that looked like a birthstone ring made with ruby. The second looked more intimate, like some sort of engagement ring made out of silver with a lone diamond on it. But they didn't look like anything magical that could protect him from werewolf venom.

So what was protecting him? There were no witch spells that could. When Damon had been bitten by Tyler, they'd searched for an antidote and the only one was Klaus's blood, because he was a...

Elena's eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat. Arrow must have heard it begin to pound because he was suddenly gazing at her and Sumatra had lifted his head, his ears rotating around towards her.

_Is Arrow the second hybrid?_

Suddenly, Sumatra shrieked.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Teeth snapped inches in front of his face and Atlantis had to flip over to avoid the shark's vicious bite. After a week of almost non-stop swimming, they'd had very little contact with anything potentially dangerous. They'd swam beneath boats and cruisers and paused to drink human blood. When they hadn't been able to, both had taken to fasting on fish and even a squid, though they both agreed that the fish was more appeasing. The ink in the face really wasn't worth the hassle.

Thalassa roared behind him. This would be her first underwater fight, but Atlantis had to admit she already had the right idea. That combined with the instincts of her shark form would create a deadly combination.

Her jaws stretched open and she clamped her mouth around the body of one shark, trying to keep it in place. Atlantis could see through the mist of blood spilling out that she had a bite to be reckoned with. She held her grip even against the shark's thrashing.

"Tear! Tear!" He squealed, flipping himself around and slapping another shark in the face with his tail. Unlike Thalassa, he had very few dangerous teeth. He could bite, yes, but not with as much damage as she could do with a single strike.

He swam up and rammed another away as the Grey Nurse started to wriggle back and forth. A chunk ripped from the shark's body and it went limp. Thalassa spat it out and saw it float, then swam around and attacked another that was trying to sink its teeth into Philip's side. There were too many for them to fight – there were four surrounding them, circling them, and more approaching from the darkness in the distance. The hunger in their eyes was unmistakable.

"Run!" Thalassa howled. Atlantis slithered out from the attack range and they took off, swimming at a speed that could rival a jet ski. Bubbles streamed from the rapid movements of their bodies as they fled. The whirling mass of sharks grouped together and gave chase.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Sumatra shrieked. One moment he was completely calm and the next he was throwing off his rider, bucking frantically and screeching at the top of his lungs. Rebekah ran around and snatched Elena from beneath the rampaging stallion's hooves, but she'd already hit the ground hard.

Arrow rushed up and lowered his hands, watching the great stallion thrash and kick. Sumatra was strong, there was no doubt about it, but he'd dealt with startled horses before. This one would be no different. Well, maybe not much. It was just a very powerful vampire in the guise of an animal.

Motioning for the others to get away, he started murmuring quietly, his voice song like and arms by his side. Sumatra's eyes were wide and he looked ready to bolt, but he immediately seemed to settle slightly. The vampire stepped up and cupped his face in both hands, resting his palms against the stallion's cheeks. Slowly but firmly, he tried to get the horse to lower his head, making sure not to use too tight a grip.

"There we go, it's okay. Nothing's wrong, you hear? That's it, settle down."

Suddenly Sumatra had vanished, and Kol stood in his place. A dreadful snarling erupted from his throat and his eyes burned with malice. He stomped past Arrow, reached into the bushes and yanked out a small creature that wailed in protest at his insanely harsh grip.

"You little shit!" Kol spat, pinning the fox to the floor. It's bushy crimson fur shone like fire under the dim sun and it growled and tried to turn around to bite into the hand that held it. "Think that was funny, do ya?"

"Let go!" Yowled the fox. "Let me go!"

"Kol, stop!" Tyler shouted, horrified. He moved to protect the creature but Duncan grabbed the leg of his trousers and held him back. "We have to stop him!"

"Wait," Duncan said, narrowing his eyes. "That's a kitsune. It's been following us for some time now. I've been wondering what it wants. Perhaps Kol can get us some answers."

"Let me go! Get off!"

"Kitsune," Duncan called to the kitsune. "Why have you followed us?"

"I thought – you were travellers – I wanted – to see what you were – _gah!_"

"Kol, let go of the stupid fox," Rebekah called. "Let Duncan talk to it. Then you can kill it."

Kol let go aggressively, his eyes burning. The rage told them all that he barely was reigning in his temper, walking on cracked glass. At any moment he would strike. The kitsune cowered under his murderous glare.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" Pleaded the kitsune, flattening himself against the ground. "It was a harmless trick!"

"Harmless my balls!" Kol seethed. The kitsune winced, thinking of a comeback, but obviously deciding to keep it to himself. He really didn't want to provoke the volatile vampire any further.

Duncan stepped between the two and stared at the kitsune. "You shouldn't have followed us."

"Brother by magic, I swear I was just curious. I wasn't coming to hurt you. It was just a prank!" The kitsune's telepathy stretched through all of their minds as clear as the sky. The fear in his tone tugged at their consciences.

"What did you do to my brother?" Growled Rebekah.

The kitsune looked up at her anxiously. "I- It was an illusion... Completely harmless."

"Obviously not." Tyler's voice was calm but dripped with venom. He was kneeling on the ground, sitting on his heels with a brunette human gasping in agony, propped up against him. He bit into his wrist and pressed it to her lips, urging her to drink. "You startled him and broke Elena's leg."

"I didn't mean to," whined the kitsune. His wide eyes landed on the hybrid. "You... You're not from the pack, are you?"

"What pack?"

The kitsune shook his head rapidly. "You don't look like you're with them. You don't carry the same scent."

"_What_ pack?" Rebekah demanded. "Tell us you little runt before I rip your throat out myself."

The kitsune gulped. "The wolf pack. They live near the stream not too far from here. That way," the fox-like creature flicked his tail west. "You're not with them, are you?"

Arrow stepped over to Rebekah. "That's who we're searching for," he mumbled quietly into her ear. "If we go now under the veil of night, especially with Tyler, they might think we're trying to invade their territory. It'd be best if we waited until morning."

"I don't trust this kitsune," Rebekah hissed quietly in return. "Where there's one, there's bound to be more."

"I say we kill it." Kol threw in his two cents. "Send a message back to whatever friends it has."

"I think we should let it go." Tyler said, cradling Elena. "It seems frightened enough. I doubt it'll come back."

"You want to show it mercy!" Spat Kol viciously. His eyes were ablaze with anger.

"I won't come back. I promise." The kitsune begged. "I- I'll tell you where the pack is, where you can find it... Just don't hurt me. I'm really sorry about your friend, and to you, too, vampire." Desperation flooded out of him. If he pressed any more against the ground it seemed like he would just melt straight through the forest floor.

Duncan stared at it carefully, as if examining how trustworthy the kitsune was. "What's your name? Your _real _name. Lie to me and I'll know about it."

"K- Kyu," squeaked Kyu.

"Right, Kyu, tell me." Duncan crouched down in front of the one-tailed fox. "Where is the pack of wolves? I want to know every noticeable object that you can think of. A broken tree, a path, a badger set... Failing that, why don't you _show_ us there?"

"The p- pack doesn't like us too much." Kyu protested. "_Please._"

"Us... So there _are_ more of you around. Well don't worry, Kyu, we don't need to go all of the way there. We just need to find out where their camp is. If you do that and then leave and don't bother us again, we'll allow you to leave in peace. How does that sound?" There was a furious snarl from Kol. Kyu backed away, nodding in horror.

"Okay."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Shadows swarmed the gully. There was a distinct chill in the air; broken, dead leaves scattered the ground, crunching beneath thick padded paws. Hot breath exhaled as plumes of wispy steam around the slinking figures, bathed in the darkening light.

A dark grey shape lifted its narrow head and breathed in the musky scents around it. Long legs moved silently over the earth. Massive, rippling muscles dwarfed the younger wolves that hung back, waiting, their ears angled forward and heads low in the hunt. The lead wolf, as dark as the night sky, lifted his tail in signal.

Wait.

Up ahead, some humans were setting up camp. Or _human._ The jet wolf counted seven creatures; two heartbeats, one human, the other a warlock. His scent, though faint, carried back on the wind towards him and told of nature; of forests. The other smelled of blood. There were also four other human-like beings, but without heartbeats. _Vampires._ But one of them smelled different, like wolf. A hybrid.

And there, cowering in the middle of the camp that the vampires were setting up, was a kitsune. The ebony canine lifted his tail even higher in a command for silence as uneasy, agitated growls, quiet on the whistling winds, rose up from the ranks.

The wolf glared at the hybrid through his right golden eye. The other was sealed shut permanently, a scarred X slashed across the left side of his face. His nicked right ear flicked away a persistent buzzing fly as it hovered around his ear.

"Jasmine," growled the alpha softly.

A black and grey she-wolf eased forward over the bracken. "Yes?"

"Run as fast as you can back to camp." Ordered the dark wolf, crouching down on the earth, bunching his muscles. "Inform our leader that there are vampires within our borders, as well as a kitsune, and an outsider."

Jasmine's youthful blue eyes blinked widely. She flattened herself against the ground beside him. "Is it Kyu?"

"Yes." The kitsune mumbled something that was lost beneath a temperamental vampire's snarl and vanished into the gorse as quickly as his short legs allowed. Jasmine's sweet, willowy scent drifted through his nostrils and he shifted forward slightly, concealing himself within the shadows. "Kyu must be up to his old tricks again. It's a wonder we haven't driven him out of our territory yet. Now go. Run fast my apprentice."

Jasmine bowed her head respectfully and whirled around, padding over the bracken and back towards the direction of camp. She bounded over a fallen tree in a single, graceful leap and vanished in a run indistinguishable from the sounds of the crackling fire.

The vampires wouldn't be able to scent them since they were downwind and the wind was sharp, threatening snow. However if the wind changed and carried their scent back to the intruders, their element of surprise would be gone.

The patrol settled down to wait. The scent of human blood from what looked like small plastic bags carried back, making his fangs sharpen in anticipation. The vampires began drinking in moderated turns, almost as if they were sharing some sort of ration. His rounded ears flattened and he angled his chin to scent the air again. He turned briefly and wheeled back around when he heard the sound of charging footsteps coming from the right.

The vampires sensed it too. They all leapt to their feet with enraged snarls and gathered around the two living ones in a semi-circle. A flurry of ginger and white fur announced the arrival of a kitsune patrol, who fell on the invaders with outstretched claws and magic snapping around their bodies.

One blond male howled a challenge and the clearing exploded into battle.


	26. Khimki Forest Warriors

Kitsunes erupted from the bracken, Power snapping like static around them. Immediately they went for the women; Rebekah and Elena, trying to snatch away their minds and turn them against their own. Kol lunged for one dark bodied fox, heard a snap behind him and whirled around just in time.

Elena had a branch raised over her head and swung it down at him. Hissing in surprise, he wrenched it from her arms, snapped it in two and hurled it at their enemy, impaling a kitsune through the chest.

Something was wrong. Shoving the doppelgänger towards Tyler, he caught the whoosh of flying limbs and stumbled. Arrow had his sister in a joint lock; a wrist and armlock combination. The dazed expression in Elena's eyes and the breathy hiss from Rebekah immediately told him something was wrong.

"They can possess women!" Arrow shouted. Rebekah struggled against him but he held her steady. There was nothing she could do. "It's kitsune magic – you need to find the ones causing it. They'll be concentrating purely on maintaining the link. Look for any that aren't moving!"

Duncan was rapidly murmuring something. Several kitsunes were battling the warlock, bouncing off of a shield conjured around him. Thrusting his palms out, the warlock's shield pulsed out and threw the kitsunes back, giving him time to begin another spell.

Elena whipped out a dagger from its sheathe and swung it. Ducking back, Kol whipped forward in a motion like a striking snake and shoved her far across the clearing. He wasn't as good at fighting as the others were but he'd come up with a few moves in his spare time. Running around, he delivered quick and decisive blows to the kitsune armada.

"How many are there?" Something leapt onto his back. Snarling, the original reached back, grabbed a handful of fur and dragged one from him by the scruff of its neck. It bit into his wrists and Kol sank his teeth into its throat, throwing it away like a rag doll.

Wind gathered around the clearing like a tornado forming, scooping up whirlwinds of leaves and branches. It was getting stronger and stronger. Duncan's chants were getting louder and louder. A large silver wolf took up a battle stance in front of the child mage and started snapping at those that came near.

Kol found one of the little runts that was possessing one of the two in their team. He promptly snapped its neck and paused, trying to figure out who it was that had been freed. Arrow still had a hold on Rebekah; the original was dazed, her expression haunted. Elena was slashing at the kitsune now, trying to adapt some awkward form of martial arts. She seemed to hesitate and think about each slash before she did it. Then her eyes glazed over and she took a run at Duncan.

"Damn it!" Roared Arrow as Rebekah tore herself free and launched herself at him. "Snap out of it! _Rebekah! S-_"

"ARROW!"

The force of Rebekah's push threw Arrow into Elena, whose dagger slipped between his shoulder blades. Arrow's face contorted in a mask of pain and hurt. Despite the kitsunes beginning to overwhelm Tyler, Kol rushed forward, rammed into Elena and yanked the dagger from Arrow's back.

"Sorry sis," grunted the vampire. Though it would hurt him more, he pulled back his fist and punched his sister with the force of a two ton truck. Her neck snapped back, tempered eyes rolling back in her head, and she collapsed to the ground. As he shook his hand from the impact, he glanced towards the blond vampire behind him. "She is going to murder me."

"She'll understand." Arrow replied, rolling his shoulder in its socket. The wound healed almost instantly. "There are too many kitsunes."

"Well what do we do?" Demanded Kol.

Arrow bared his bloodied fangs at the hoard of foxes. "Fight kitsune magic with warlock magic. Protect Duncan. He can use Pain Infliction – cripple all of them at once. Then we use our vampire speed, give as many as we can serious injuries. We don't need to kill them – just give them an incentive to leave."

"And if that doesn't work?" They inched their way towards Tyler, who was desperately trying to protect Duncan. The hybrid moved with dizzying swiftness, biting, clawing and kicking, as the kitsunes laughed and danced around him. Fury flooded from his eyes like a storm surge.

Arrow narrowed his eyes. "Attack the leader. Every system or pack has to have some sort of hierarchy. I've been listening to them – it's that dark brown one at the back that's been giving the most instruction."

"Coward!" Jeered Kol reflexively.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Hey, kitsune leader! Yo mama so fat, when she jumped off a bridge, she fell straight through to hell!" Shouted the human with curly brown fur.

The wavy blond cocked his head, but decided to play along. "When she did, she took the entire bridge down with her."

The ebony wolf couldn't help but rumble in amusement at the joke. Sensing that all of his pack members were looking at him expectantly, he abruptly changed it into a low growl. It was pretty convincing, except the gleaming of his half-lidded eyes. Thankfully the wolves were behind him so they couldn't see his face.

Despite being pitted against so many kitsune, the strangers were doing considerably well for themselves. The blond male vampire seemed to be leading, the others following his lead. He remained strangely calm in the midst of the battle and yet his blue eyes held the excitement and vigour of a child in a sweet shop. It mirrored that of the other vampire that stood and fought beside him, except it wasn't as crazed. It was rational, not blood thirsty.

The kitsunes in the clearing faltered, doubled over and screamed in unison as the warlock sent shock waves of pain through their heads. Then they vanished in a whirlwind, striking faster than the untrained eye could see. Even the wolf darted in between friend and foe, biting and slashing and fighting.

However he could see madness in the silver wolf's eye. The curse of power; the curse of a vampire, torn and conflicted. A strange one, he was, thought the leader, flattening his ears. He was neither yet both. He had the instincts of a born, bred killer, nagging at him all of the time.

A young, small, white she-wolf, specked with the odd silver dash, bounded through the forest towards him. Impossibly ice blue eyes stared out ahead of her, plus the patrol that she had brought with her. She had brought quite a few in anticipation of battle. Half of them hung back tentatively while the rest circled around the black wolf and his entourage, spreading around the edge of the gorse.

"Sharpclaw!" Greeted the she-wolf casually, assuming a crouching position beside the grey-muzzled old wolf. "Your apprentice warned me of the kitsunes. From what I hear, the battle rages on."

"They're attacking some outsiders. There is even a werewolf amongst them, but he does not breathe. He moves like one of the vampires. Fast and swift." Sharpclaw murmured.

The white wolf's blue eyes widened. There was a misty sheen cast over them. They stared straight past the forest, out into the horizon. "Odd. But then, we have heard whispers on the wind. How many kitsunes are there?"

"Many. Too many for them to fight alone."

"Then we must help."

"But Misty Sight-"

"No buts, Sharpclaw. If they somehow defeat the kitsunes, they might find out camp and attack us next. That or they have come in search of Sanctuary. An outsider he may be, the werewolf out there is still kin, and the kitsune are our enemy. The enemy of my enemy..."

"...Is my friend." Sighed Sharpclaw wistfully. It had been he that had told her that story. "Yes, Misty Sight."

Confidently, the white she-wolf nodded. Rising to her paws, she swept her tail behind her in a gathering motion. All wolves behind her rose. Her tail lifted, and the wolf pack surged forward, barking and snarling, straight into the fray.

Misty Sight and Sharpclaw observed for a moment, and then raced out to join the battle.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Blood roared in Tyler's ears as wolves burst out of the bracken. Muscles rippled beneath fur, hot breath blew against his ear and he broke off his attack on one particularly small kit to stare in horror. It was like watching a tidal wave crash onto the shore of a beach right in front of him.

Suddenly the kitsunes didn't feel so brave. They shrieked in terror, some fleeing, others staying to escort the wounded out, or others too brave or arrogant to stand down. Inches in front of his nose, a _massive_ brown timber wolf slammed the tiny fox into the ground with both forepaws and delivered a shattering blow that sent shivers through his undead body. In just as much grace as a leaping gazelle, the wolf moved onto his next target, with a smaller, ashen grey wolf racing beside him clumsily like a child in shoes several sizes too big.

He heard a choked cry from behind and whirled around so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash. Behind him there was another one, a light brown one with one ear shredded, but snarling with as much rage as an angered mother. The kitsune the old wolf faced scrambled away.

"Retreat! Retreat!" The kitsune leader, stunned by the sudden reinforcements, hurried away into the dense forest. Tyler saw a rush of red in the corner of his eye and instinctively snapped at it, only to catch the tip of bushy fur in the front of his teeth. Spitting it out, he readied himself for the battle.

It was a red wolf, young and strong. Surprised, he stared at her, unprepared for the whoosh of movement and she sudden _whump_ and the kit that crashed into his side. The red wolf laughed as he leaned up, holding the kit in her jaws. It struggled, hissing and spitting, but its short, stubby limbs scratched harmlessly through thick fur.

"You haven't any battle claws," chortled the she-wolf through a mouthful of fur. Upon closer inspection, one of her teeth was missing and there was a nick in her ear. "Leave it to us. We'll chase them off for you."

"Who are you?" Tyler demanded.

Smiling, the red wolf shrugged, and she disappeared into the fray once more, swinging the kitsune around in her jaws like a rag doll. It yelled at her to let it go as they faded into the shadows.

Tyler looked around. Wolves were everywhere; he couldn't see through the rainbow of large bodies, or hear anything except for guttural snarls and feral grunts. A golden flash landed in front of him and, for one fleeting moment, he believed it was Caroline. But the face that he glimpsed in the peripheral of his vision was definitely not his girlfriend.

"Tyler? Yes, no heartbeat." Rebekah glanced up, her hand in her pocket. It looked like she was holding onto something, but what he wasn't sure. He was focused on her eyes. They were unfocused and she looked shaky. "Find your way to the camp fire. I'm going to grab Arrow before he gets himself bitten. If you see Kol, make sure he doesn't kill anything."

There was something odd here. Her voice was light and excited, like she was pleased about the arrival of these wolves. Did that mean she knew them?

The shove almost unbalanced him. Squeezing through the mass of wolves and still-fighting kitsunes was like trying to crawl through a collapsing tunnel. One moment he had a clear view – the next his way was barred. Tiny teeth sank into his spine, scraping against bone. He cried out in pain, reached around and tried to bite into his attacker. Suddenly it vanished.

Standing over him was a colossal ebony wolf, one side of his face scarred straight down the middle. His golden eye was piercing. It felt like he was a pup looking up into the face of death. But in the ebony wolf's jaws, there was the limp body of a kitsune, its last defiant snarl etched onto its face, Tyler's blood dribbling down its chin.

Unforgiving, the wolf tossed the body aside and reached forward, sinking sharp teeth into Tyler's scruff. It hurt and he made a noise of protest, but he was being dragged towards the charred sticks that had once housed a fire. The black wolf dumped him there and watched as the last few kitsune fell.

"Sharpclaw, Mint needs help!" Called a voice from somewhere_._ The wolf's ears twitched. As he turned, his golden eye lingered a few moments longer on Tyler, but then he bounded away to where a wolf was lying on his side in the dust.

A white she-wolf stepped up, as small as the wolf he'd fought before, guarding the moonstone in Paris. Her ears were trained on the group as they gathered. Tyler, his back cracking back into place, hurriedly stood up and ended up staggering straight into Kol's legs. The vampire hissed disapprovingly and shunted him away with a half-assed boot to the rear end.

Arrow was stood beside Rebekah, supporting her in her daze. Kitsunes used a variant of black magic – tainted magic as a result of their greedy, mischievous natures – that left the victim disorientated. Kol was giving an exhausted Duncan a piggy back ride, the warlock slumped over his shoulder, breathing unevenly. He had several small bites in his arms and one that looked like it had been yanked, as if the kitsune had forcibly been pried from him by something much deadlier.

Elena was... Nowhere. Tyler looked around, fearing the worst, but saw her draped over the back of a broad shouldered grey wolf, padding towards them carefully. She was bloodied and quite badly injured. As soon as he saw this, Kol unceremoniously bit into his wrist and practically shoved his entire hand down her throat in his awkward attempt to keep Duncan upright and move with the grey wolf as the bloody thing kept walking.

The black wolf returned from 'Mint', carrying him over his shoulders. He took up a position beside the small blue-eyed she-wolf, staring at them all intently. "Who are you?"

"We're friends," replied Arrow, kneeling down gracefully. He could only guess what the pack was saying. He had no idea.

Rebekah snapped out of her daze and looked around at the wolves, suddenly remembering where they were. "Khimki forest wolf pack... That's right. I've brought a message for you. For your leader."

The she-wolf before them barked, rallying her pack to her. "What?" She asked. Rebekah looked on uncertainly. After a moment of awkward silence, Sharpclaw leaned forward and mumbled something into her ear. Tyler could only guess in the hierarchy of the wolf pack law, she was the alpha female, and he was most likely the alpha male. That or he was her subordinate. He knew for certain that she was in charge.

Misty Sight frowned, gasping in realisation, and then nodded in understanding. "Wolf tongue doesn't do good for vampires. Hold on..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Again and again and again. Where were his siblings? Klaus wasn't concerned, but angry. As Rebekah's phone went into voice mail, he delivered another message through ground teeth. It essentially went along the lines of, "if you don't call me back, I'll cause hell until you do", but without as much malice as he would have used with Kol. Without as much suspicion as he would have used with Elijah.

"No word." Murmured a hybrid he had called to Mystic Falls in order to help him relocate his currently missing siblings.

Klaus let out a bellow of rage and, in a moment of _bouffé délirante_, decapitated his helper with a violent swing of his arm. As the innocent body crumpled to the floor, the head rolling away, Klaus glared at the concerned features on his face. The movement had been too fast for him to register. His lips curled into a snarl. Grabbing his wine glass, he hurled it at the wall, staining blood red wine onto the expensive cream sofa.

"Where could they be?" He spat at himself frustratedly. "First Finn left me, Elijah, then Rebekah and Kol. Esther has them, I know it." Despite having no evidence that Esther had even existed in the past few weeks, he was convinced that she was involved. The phone call from Rebekah... Elijah had been in trouble, and if Elijah had been in trouble, it had to mean someone powerful, equipped and confident enough – or insane enough – to challenge an original vampire.

_But how? No weapons to kill us... The stakes have all been burned. The white ash tree is extinct! _Witches could draw in the power of nature as easily as vampires could flip a car onto its roof. In Kol's case it would be several times onto its roof, over a ditch and into the side of a lorry, but that was beside the point.

Frenzied and conflicted, he circled around the room, biting his lip thoughtfully. How had Rebekah known where to go? Why had she taken Kol and asked him to remain in Mystic Falls? No, he was reading too much into this. There was a chance Rebekah hadn't found him yet and they were still searching.

But why take Kol and not him?

Klaus had an army of hybrids at his disposal. Kol was erratic, borderline psychotic, if not already. Klaus couldn't be killed by white oak stakes, or silver daggers, making him a powerful, indestructible tank. Kol could be killed, though Klaus was torn on whether he cared or not.

Fifteen witches, plus Esther herself. Not the original witch, but extremely powerful and crafty. Did Elijah stand a chance? No. Well maybe, if he'd ran away in time, but from the sounds of it, he hadn't actually got all that far. And what was with phoning in the middle of the fight? Klaus couldn't see his elder brother that desperate for help, unless he genuinely believed that his life was at risk.

...But if it was, why would he call his family – the ones he cared about more than anything – to aid him? Unless Esther was building up an army of witches herself to take them all down by force. That would affect them all.

The clock beeped, telling him how close it was to his deadline. Klaus hurriedly snatched up his coat, scooped his phone from the desk and headed out the door.

He'd call for his hybrids later, order them to standby, and to look out for his family as well, just in case they did show up sooner or later. When Esther unleashed the dogs of war, Klaus's wolf pack would be there to show her _true _strength.


	27. Of Friends and Allies

Staring back at them was a beautiful albino teenager, no older than fifteen years old. Her skin looked like fallen snow and her hair was a sweeping, "emo" styled blizzard over the front of her face that fell to her shoulder blades. Her hair fell right over her eyes for the most part, a few strands out of place, and she angled her head low as if she wasn't quite sure where to look. She had a slanted square jaw, beautiful lake blue eyes rimmed with midnight lashes. She looked like a ghost beneath the moonlight.

Compared to the grizzly, Caucasian, older man suddenly standing beside her, she was short and young. He had the look of a soldier, with black hair and flecks of grey dashed about his short hair. Stubble set over his chin and was like sandpaper in the way it tugged as he nudged his nose with his knuckle and sniffed. His eyes were dark and incredibly haunted, but showed bravery and experience fitting for his years. Showing by the slight wrinkles about his forehead, he was about fifty years old. His nose was fairly hooked and he had a scar over his left eye that looked like it had been caused by either a knife or a set of very large claws. In Kol's eyes, as he stood there in old military clothing with dog-tags around his neck, he was _begging_ to be tested.

The girl spoke first in a thick Russian accent that gave them the impression she wasn't used to speaking English. "My name is Charlotte. As wolf, is Misty Sight. I am, uh... Leader of Khimki Pack."

"Sharpclaw is my wolf name," replied the man in a smooth but odd American-sounding tone. Two dark brown eyes latched onto the outcasts cautiously. "My real name is Nixkamich. It means Grandfather in Native American."

"What message do you speak of?" Asked Charlotte. "Who sent you?"

Nixkamich half-turned back and motioned with one well muscled arm to the pack behind him. They drew closer, padding lightly over the forest floor, ears forward and tails bristling. It looked like they were smiling as their tongues lolled out of their mouths, but there was an obvious underlying tension and distrust there.

"Our brother asked us to come here and deliver this message to you." Rebekah ripped open an envelope, unfolded the paper and... Her forehead creased in confusion. Written down were strange letters in a foreign language that she didn't understand at all. "I can't translate this."

"Let me see." Arrow took the letter from the vampire and skimmed over it quickly. "It's written in Russian. I think I can..." He cleared his throat and began speaking in Russian.

"_Charlotte, Nix', I write to you now in request that you fulfil your... Oath... to me. The time has... The time has come now when I need the strength of the Khimki pack, of all you can spare, to aid us in a war that will undoubtedly cause... The..." _He frowned. "I can't read anything else."

"Give it here." Nixkamich ordered, and began reading it out loud in English instead. "Charlotte, Nix, I write to you to request you fulfil your debt to me. The time has now arrived where I need the strength of Khimki Pack, of all who can be spared, to help fight in a war that, if lost, will cause the deaths, enslavements and torture of potentially thousands of innocents of all species, natural and supernatural. This threat includes your pack and any children born into it."

"You once told me that for my help in the past, you would repay me in any way possible. Help me now and all debts will be repaid."

"Give your reply to... Well, shit." Nixkamich turned to Charlotte and continued in Russian, _"Elijah needs our help in war. What should we do?"_

"I understand problem," Charlotte bit her lip, unable to reach a decision. "You come now, back to camp. We shall talk. But not now. You are tired, all of you, I feel it. First you will rest."

"Stand down!" Nixkamich ordered the wolf patrol gruffly. Heads lifted, tails lowered and ears began to swivel around curiously. "Follow."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Satin broke off his course as if a rabid dog had flown at him and dove like hell was snapping at his tail feathers. One heartbeat Northstar had been flying beside him and the next he fell through the sky like he'd been shot.

Northstar's wings were half-folded, half-extended, just like his legs. Russet feathers flickered back and forth in the wind. A sparkling blue expanse of water stretched out around them for miles. If Satin wasn't quick, Northstar would plummet into the sea.

"Northstar?" Satin came up underneath him and flapped his wings in a difficult attempt to gain altitude. "Do you hear me?" Nothing. The water drew closer. "You're crashing. Pull up!" Again, nothing. "You have to pull yourself together. You're crashing – PULL UP!"

Northstar blinked open his eyes weakly and just managed to roll over in mid-air. He tumbled off of the sleek crow and stretched his wings wide again, catching a low drift and flapping stiffly. "Sorry..."

Satin fell beside his travel companion over the Arabian Sea. They were heading for Thailand to stop for the night, having travelled quite far in the past two days. Right now Satin wasn't quite sure where they were. Northstar had fallen silent since Saudi Arabia.

"What happened?"

Northstar spat something out, turned back and stared straight towards the distant land. He shook his head, unable to form the words he needed. Instead he sped up until the wind seemed to whistle as it bent around his streamlined form.

There was a high rocky alcove embedded into a cliff where they stopped. Grey thunderclouds rolled and churned nearby, sparking with unleashed lightning. It groaned painfully.

Northstar landed far too quickly. He crashed into the ledge and transformed back into Elijah before Satin could squeeze in after him. It was far too small for them both to turn back into human form, so Satin huddled at the edge and stared at Elijah as he lay on the jagged rock.

For some unknown reason, which quite frightened Satin actually, Elijah was coughing violently. Blood sprayed out of his mouth and onto the rocks, smelling strange and almost... _Rotten!? _It was tainted, almost black.

"Da-_kah_-amn _k-_it!" Elijah heaved and convulsed like he were vomiting. It came to a stop a few seconds later.

What the hell was that? The blood's pungent stench made Satin cringe. He cawed questioningly. Elijah glanced at him slightly and, with a shaky arm, curled his fingers into the rock and pulled off a sizeable chunk, throwing it over the edge with a pained groan.

Damon managed to squeeze into it, transformed from Satin back into his human form. Quickly he made an effort to tear more slabs of rock from the cliff to give them both more space. His icy eyes locked onto his friend then. "What's that? Are you okay?"

"Tainted blood," Elijah's laugh was bone dry. "Must've drank some when I fed last. I'll be fine."

"Vervain?"

"No. Tainted purposely by a witch. A highly advanced spell." Elijah explained hoarsely. "Usedo protect their loved ones from vampires. When you drink it, nothing happens for about an hour, then it hits you. Vervain burns immediately – you'd know."

"I've never heard of that before." Damon bit his lip worriedly. "What happens now?"

Elijah sighed through his nose, lay on his side and closed his eyes. "I need to rest for a few hours and then feed again."

"It's probably a good thing we stopped," Damon murmured quietly, his lazuline eyes catching the subtle twitch of his friend's ear. It surprised him how much he would have denied that simple connection between himself and Elijah before. "I'm beat. I'll go out and find you some... Well, I can't drag anyone up here so I'll find a blood bag of some sort."

"...'Kay."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Well it wasn't the best party Kol had ever been to but it was a start. Charlotte, the slender albino teenager who apparently led this Russian Robin Hood-esque merry band of... supernatural yobs, had thrown them a little welcome dig to make them feel comfortable.

So far Kol had been hit on by five different women, half of who were ugly, smelled bad or had no sense of space. One of them was currently circling around as a goat – no, seriously – and he'd figured out quite slowly that there weren't just werewolves in the pack. No, there were also vampires.

That explained why Charlotte was so small. Her vampire animal avatar was actually a wolf. Nixkamich, the massive old guy, who apparently served in the army since he'd first reached age of recruitment, was actually a werewolf. Both being from the military, Arrow and Nix seemed to have hit it off well.

And this everyone found odd. Kol watched as the albino vampire leader-of-the-pack approached a laughing band of both species and joined in with the festivities. That said, it was only really a few dock leaves stacked with various berries and other things. Kol had seen a dead bird somewhere getting a stick rammed up its ass, getting ready to be roasted or... something.

The camp itself had both nesting holes in the ground where the wolves slept and little houses in the trees for vampires when their friends were turning on the full moon. It looked like both sets seemed to sleep in the tree houses at some point. It was good since wolves couldn't actually climb trees.

"Hey handsome," purred goat-woman again, striding up to him, dressed in some weird leaf robe.

Kol glanced towards his sister pleadingly, but she was busy. Tyler was getting acquainted with other werewolves and vampires who were both curious about his "hybridity". Arrow was nearby with Nixkamich, but wasn't listening.

"Tell her you're gay," Duncan suggested as he shot past on a small ball of wind, playing with some of the other children.

"I'm gay." Kol's traitorous mouth blurted. His hand twitched in longing to rip it off of his face before he could screw himself over even further.

The woman wandered away. Then he got hit on by several other men. That bastard Duncan was laughing in the distance – Kol _swore_ he had heard what had just happened.

"Sorry men, he's taken." A left hand landed on his right shoulder. Kol glanced around. Arrow was standing close to him, his right hand flashing his ring finger, upon which was his engagement ring. "He's with me."

"YES, I am, with him." Kol spluttered. "With he, I am, uh, we are... Engaged. To be married."

"So shy," laughed a werewolf, his curiosity still not sated. He winked lustfully at the original as he strode away. "Young love."

"We're older than you," snorted Kol for the sake of being obstructive.

Arrow chuckled, flicked a strand of wavy hair out of his eyes and moved back over to Nixkamich. As Kol chased after Tyler, he heard a snippet of grim, quiet conversation; "Yeah, I was one of the first in the Normandy invasion. A bloodbath, it was. My friend..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Philip stared at his hot chocolate for a few minutes in silence, his hands wrapped around a jawbreaker. He tossed it up into the air, catching it while hardly registering that the people around their table were slowly starting to move off. It was only when a drunken human male approached that his attention was distracted from the cup. Ragged man, unshaven face, quite handsome if dressed in a suit, but he looked half pregnant.

"Hey, foxy lady." Beer. Both vampires wrinkled their noses in disgust. "How about a good time?"

"Excuse me?" Caroline choked on her juice in disbelief.

"What's your name?" Philip asked.

"Dave. This your kid? Who ever spawned him must've been quite the looker." Dave replied. Philip shivered.

"Dick." Philip said simply, extending his hand. This left Dave with a mental dilemma. Was Philip introducing himself as Dick or calling Dave a dick?

As Dave's bloodshot eyes lingered over the green-eyed child, Caroline grinned and took another sip of her apple juice. It was tinged with blood, of course. B positive. Her favourite.

"Mommy, mommy, can we go?" Philip whined suddenly, causing Caroline to spray juice from her nose at the sight of the cute vampire child rocking back and forth on the chair. "This guy stinks. Can we go home to daddy?"

"I don't stink!" Dave protested. However, shamelessly, he lifted his armpit and sniffed quite loudly.

"Ewww!" Philip squealed, attracting the attention of quite a few bystanders. "He's sniffing his ARMPITS!"

Panicking, the drunkard looked around to see if he was being watched. "N- No I'm not! Shut up, kid!"

"Dave's sniffing his armpits! Dave's sniffing his armpits!"

Dave decided it was best to leave. Meanwhile, as Philip continued his childish tirade, kicking his legs back and forth and almost dancing in his seat while singing, Caroline had to plant her face into the table and sink her teeth into her fist to stop herself from openly laughing. Her shoulders trembled with effort, but every now and again a choked snort would escape. It would set Philip off to do something else noisy.

"That settles it," Caroline laughed. "I'm adopting you."

The left side of Philip's mouth curled upwards into a toothy grin. "No thanks. I already have my Uncle."

"Uncle?"

"Uncle Eli," said the vampire, his accent thickly Irish. "Elijah."

"He's your uncle?"

"Well yeah. He's been taking care of me and Dunc for years! And it's fun. Sometimes I take part in martial arts championships. My opponents are always – _always – _going 'I'll make you cry uncle', but it's never me. Problem is that if I ever did cry uncle, well... Instant powerhouse to chase off anyone I need."

"You two sound very close" Caroline snort-giggled and wiped her nose as she almost laughed again. "I thought you were his son or something. Not biological, of course."

"We're very close." Philip confessed. "I've caught myself thinking of him as my father sometimes. And Duncan as my brother. But I've never called him anything aside from Uncle."

Caroline seemed intrigued. "Why not? I mean if you see him as your father, why not call him that?"

Philip shrugged. "I'unno," he mumbled. There was the obvious projection that he didn't want to continue on with the topic. Instead of answering Caroline's next question, he asked, "What about you and Wolf-boy? Tyler, was it?"

Caroline's face flushed. "We're... friends."

Philip grinned at her. "I thought it was more than that. You two were pretty much necking each other the night before we left for Paris." Caroline's face was on fire. She seemed to have taken particular interest in the patterned tablecloth. "Come on, we're both undead. I can keep a secret."

"How does being undead relate to keeping secrets...?" Caroline scoffed. "Oh fine. We're... Together." She glanced up shyly and held onto the glass of juice.

"Knew it." Philip drawled smugly. "It was written all over your faces." He paused. "This might make a good plot line..."

"Plot line?" Caroline asked.

"Well yeah. I'm writing a book. Well, another one." Philip swiped a tongue over his extended fang. "I'm an author. No bestsellers... _Yet._"

"Really?" Caroline's eyes lit up excitedly. She'd never met a real author before. She'd been to book signings before. "What books have you written? No wait, how did you publish them? Wouldn't you be too young?"

"Eli publishes them for me, in my name." Philip shrugged. "Philip Shora. I've written a few childrens books, ironically. But I've done some other things too. I hate sci-fi though – god, who ever wrote Star Trek is obviously a genius. After the war is over, I want to write up our journey in a novel series, if everyone wants to give accounts."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll help!" Caroline thought the idea of being written about was thrilling!

Philip guzzled down the rest of his hot chocolate and eyed someone walking down the street hungrily. Shaking, he licked his lips, savouring the taste of the chocolate. "What do you want to do once the war is over?"

"If I'm still alive after this," Caroline began.

"You'll still be alive." Philip argued. "Come on, have some confidence! You've got some of the strongest people around running. That and you're pretty strong for a vampire only a year old!"

Caroline smiled warmly. "Fine, _when_ the war is over, I was thinking of... I dunno. I want to go home to Mystic Falls, but... I also want to stay in Dublin, y'know. At least for a while."

"A holiday?" Philip asked.

"Yeah. I've never been out of Mystic Falls before."

"I'm sure Eli will let you stay at our manor. If he doesn't, I'll give him a good kneecapping until he changes his mind." Philip winked.


	28. Órfhlaith

Khimki Pack was hierarchical. Everyone was trained to fight, to heal, to forage for food, but some chose to do one rather than another. Decisions made would involve the entire pack as opposed to just Nixkamich, Charlotte and the apparent pack elders that Elena had labelled them as in her mind. The pack would go to Charlotte with an idea and she would provide another form of insight, and then they would agree on it as a whole. There were a few healers but everything was primitive. No pills, no syringes – this Elena was grateful for. She still hadn't gotten over Stefan stealing her blood.

There was no way for her to contact the other group. Duncan had fallen into another seizure a few hours as a result of using too much magic within the last few weeks, and had split a few trees straight down the middle. It was nothing that he couldn't repair once he was well again. Arrow was sitting with him beneath the stars, on top of one of the tree houses. They'd been in the camp for two nights.

Elena, however, had rediscovered her mobile phone tucked deep within her bag, and was searching through various pictures of her and her friends. Caroline and Philip were at sea. Damon and Elijah were flying somewhere over Saudi Arabia, if not the ocean just past that, straight for Australia. Rebekah had calculated their positions based on the fact that they rested every seven hours for a few hours, fed, which she assumed would take an hour, and a few other factors. Without electricity it was difficult to pinpoint them exactly.

On Elena's phone, there were a lot of various pictures. Of Bonnie, Caroline and her, partying. There was one of her and Damon, him giving the camera his cheeky smile as he raised one glass of blood whiskey to the air. Her expression was one of exasperation, her eyes rolling and lips betraying her irritation with him by smiling.

There was one of Stefan that made her lip curl and body shudder beneath the fur blanket created with the shed fur and wool of the animal forms of the pack. She pulled it closer to her, squeezed her eyes shut and flicked the button, choking on her breath.

The next picture was one of the most recent, taken on the beach of Dublin. It had been taken by Wes as he rode on the Batmobile and portrayed a scene that made her laugh in a quiet, whisper-y way. She was dressed in expensive, loose silk clothing, black with violet lining like ribbons woven into the fabric. Elijah was trying to stand upright – she'd dragged him into this picture, or rather Philip and Duncan had. The two boys were climbing all over him and he was desperately trying to maintain some dignity. It wasn't quite working out the way he'd hoped.

His face was a strange mask of annoyance, amusement and joy as Philip yanked at his hair with a jawbreaker in his left hand, struggling with his raised arm, obviously trying to conk Elijah on the head with it. Duncan was slamming face-first into his side, his face wrinkled impossibly, braided hair frizzy and eyes scrunched up. This created a tangled mess of seven year old limbs and clothing which had actually ripped Elijah's favourite shirt to shreds. A swirling ball of air was half dispensing just behind him, explaining what had happened. Duncan was like Kol. Mischievous, fun loving, but nowhere near as destructive.

But the joy on Elijah's face coupled with her own hysterical expression made her erupt into a laughter muffled by the back of her hand.

A long time ago she would have been adamant that Elijah had no heart. No capacity to love. Now she was convinced opposite. He loved those two so much Elena could see the emotion in his eyes when he mentioned or saw them, the fear, concern and exhaustion when Duncan had fallen into a complex partial seizure... Those two could get away with murder it seemed, because Elena had been floored multiple times with the things those two boys had done which Elijah had let them get away with. They seemed like inseparable twins, and yet they always listened to him.

Philip and Duncan spoke fondly and proudly of him, calling him Uncle Eli from time to time. Apparently Elijah hadn't asked them to call him that – it was just an affectionate nickname created by Duncan and adopted by Philip. They had their own respective pet names of Dunc and Phil but Elena had never heard Elijah call them that. If he did in private, she had no idea.

Rebekah, restless with being surrounded by unfamiliar vampires and werewolves, stepped into the room. Elena lowered her phone onto her chest and turned around sleepily, seeing the glimmer of blue eyes reflecting the suppressed light of her phone.

"You're awake. Good." It was a tone that was regretful but relieved. Rebekah still hated her guts, it seemed. Fair enough. Elena _had_ stuck a dagger in her heart and stolen her mothers necklace without realising it. She had given it back though. And then lost it...

"Hey." Elena greeted quietly, unsure of what to say or do. She was already tired from having one limb broken, repaired, then being bitten several times by a raging kitsune, and then getting her mind controlled by said kitsunes friend.

She was on the line of reality and dreamscape, and she was a drunken motorist getting pulled over by a traffic cop and ordered to perform a roadside test. Her arms were out for balance but her brain was drunkenly dancing and singing that stupid song she hated so much. Problem was she couldn't remember the lyrics, nor remember where the hammer was to bludgeon said horrid singer.

"Still awake. I figured you'd have crashed by now." Rebekah said dismissively.

"Why'd you come in here?" Elena asked, genuinely curious. Rebekah simply stared at her. Okay, maybe not. Maybe a different approach. "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Stabbing you in the back." Elena rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling of the tree house. "It was wrong."

"It fucking hurt." Agreed Rebekah coldly.

"I shouldn't have done it. For what its worth, I really am sorry."

"A bit late for that."

"I know. I know." Elena sighed exasperatedly. Why would Rebekah just accept her apology? Well, granted if someone stabbed_ her_ through the heart with a dagger, she'd be a little bit more than annoyed as well. "...Is there... anything I can do to redeem myself? I know you might never forgive me but I still need to try... Believe me, I really didn't want to stab anyone – especially not you – it's just that I didn't know about everything back then. Now I know we're on the same side and I think we should really get along, and-"

"Elena."

"...Yes?"

"Shut up. I didn't come to a confessional. I came to see if you were still alive." Rebekah growled flatly. "Now get some sleep. You look dead."

Elena closed her eyes, feeling humiliated and defeated. Rebekah wasn't going to forgive her. How could she have been so stupid as to think otherwise? Rebekah's footsteps tapped against hollow wood and stopped. Elena wiped at her eyes, which were beginning to tear up from stress. She sniffed, hissed a mild curse under her breath and rolled over, turning off her phone to get some sleep.

She paused. Someone was watching her. She turned, looked over her shoulder. Rebekah was staring at her, her face unreadable, eyes fixated on her and not betraying a single flash of emotion.

"...I'll think about it. No promises." She said. And then she was gone.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Charlotte sat casually on the bed, swinging her feet back and forth as she waited for Nixkamich to arrive. The werewolves were out hunting for food – her vampire senses could hear their quiet barks, the odd triumphant howl and squeal of prey as it was caught in slavering jaws.

The tree houses were large and set on sturdy trunks, capable of holding several vampires and werewolves at once. In the summer time, the leaves would cover the tree houses and keep them hidden from passing planes overhead. In the winter, it would be harder to conceal their presence, and the snow would cause the werewolves to gather in the underground dens to sleep side by side out of the snow's reach.

Charlotte's misty lake blue eyes stared down towards the floor of the den. Nixkimich walked along the connecting branches of nearby trees to reach the albino fifteen year old. The old soldier sat down on the bed beside her.

They weren't related at all, but he was like her father. Charlotte immediately leaned against his shoulder, listening to his steady heartbeat. _"Read me his letter again please," _she murmured in Russian.

Nixkimich read it over in his daughter's native language, and then read it again, and again, knowing she was trying to memorise it. Charlotte couldn't read. She was blind. She'd never been taught. Well they'd tried, but it never really worked out. Charlotte preferred to listen to another person's voice telling her stories, where there was so much more emotional background to a story. To read it herself wasn't as effective.

Because she knew the newcomers lingering around would probably try listening in, she spoke quietly and in her mother-tongue. That way only her pack would understand, if any still remained awake. "In the pack's early days, we had to fight for this territory. There were all kinds of creatures around who didn't appreciate us moving in; kitsunes, who we still have problems with, who bring humans here on purpose to cause trouble. Werewolves who didn't like vampires being allowed into the pack, because of the thousand-year war – some of our own who became traitors, murderers, and were banished. And then the fire that swept through our land, terrorising every living thing..."

"Is this why the older members of the pack feel indebted to him?" Nixkamich asked, his accent a little clumsy. "I have heard stories about the early days just after the fire. Elijah healed the land with witches and called upon old friends to help rebuild the camp."

"Yes," murmured Charlotte. "He stayed with us for a time. He also told us that his father was the one who had set off the whole war when he killed a Lockwood, one of the most ancient and powerful werewolf lines, and that he didn't believe in the fighting. Werewolves and vampires could co-exist together. Anyway, he helped the land to heal. We made him one of our own, one of our trusted pack members. We promised him that should he ever need it, he could call upon us, and we would go to him."

"Some of the pack have already begun packing," whispered Nixkamich in realisation. "The bounds of loyalty to werewolves are strong. It isn't the same with vampires, but..."

"He is a grandfather to all vampires. In a sense, the original vampire family line are like deities to us all – well, to vampires anyway. They are the first. The strongest." Charlotte's fangs extended. She bared them and hissed into the distance like a cross feline. "I'm honoured to have the originals amongst us, Nix. We _must_ help them. There's what is called a blood link. Have you heard of this?"

"Arrow has told me." Nixkamich wrapped his arm around his daughter. "Any vampire that has turned a vampire is connected to them by a blood bond. It is indefinite; the bond carries from the last turned vampire to the one who originally started the link – the originals themselves. Upon death, the whiplash of sheer Power severs the bond, but the released power is so strong that every vampire born from them falls. Arrow referred to it as a blood bomb."

"A few months ago, a 'blood bomb' went off. An original vampire was killed." Charlotte lowered her head. "You know what happened then."

"Several of our pack died. No warning, no cure, just... Gone."

"That's right. And thousands more whose chain snapped without warning." Charlotte closed her eyes. "Nobody knows exactly how many vampires there are. There could be hundreds, thousands, _millions_... So much is riding on them winning this war."

"If they fail, and Klaus kills them for betraying him, it's not just them that will suffer. Everyone will. Vampires. Those who loved the vampires."

"Yes."

Nixkamich drew a breath. "The world will know about the existence of vampires should millions of people drop dead of their own accord."

"And the world will be thrown out of balance. It has adapted to support vampires. Who knows what could happen..."

"You could die as well." The werewolf sounded hesitant.

"So many more could die if we didn't." The vampire sounded afraid. There was a moment of silence. "_Ó__rfhlaith._"

"But she is at the other side of the forest – the kitsunes!"

"Will not stop us, if they know what's good for them. We will travel tomorrow, and the journey will take us all day. I must speak with Órfhlaith." Charlotte stood up and turned to her second in command. Her head was lifted and the blizzard of albino hair curled around her ears as she spun on the heel of her bare foot. "You will stay to lead the pack. I will take one from my pack of your choosing and two from theirs."

"Take the human and the witch." Nixkamich suggested immediately. "That way you have a larger audience: a human, a witch, a vampire and a werewolf."

"If what the legend says is true, the witch might not like meeting Órfhlaith." Charlotte frowned. "Their kind have not agreed for generations."

"Neither have vampires or werewolves, but look at us now." Nix shrugged. Charlotte smiled and nodded approvingly. "I'll make arrangements."

"See to it." Charlotte dipped her head gratefully. She leaned forward and gave him a brief hug.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"But no apprentice has been to Órfhlaith!" Jasmine was stunned. The black and grey she-wolf's ears were forward, pricked and attentive, and her eyes were wide with fear. "It is against the-!"

"You will travel with Misty Sight at sunrise." Sharpclaw repeated sternly. "She has requested that I choose a werewolf to accompany her to Órfhlaith. You have worked hard recently so you shall be chosen to go."

Jasmine looked around. There were some sets of sleepy eyes staring out of the warmth of the dens, some impatient growls as their voices carried in the quiet of the night. "But I... This is Misty Sight we're talking about. How can I possibly...?"

"If you have any objections, get over them." Sharpclaw stated flatly. "Come on now, I know how you feel about our leader. You idolise her."

Jasmine started circling around, mumbling to herself anxiously. She wanted desperately to go with Misty Sight, but the other half of her didn't want to, in case she screwed things up. Misty Sight was her idol – Sharpclaw had it nailed. Jasmine thought her leader was strong and brave and, and...

"_Jazz!" _Jasmine ducked down as a rock flew out of the underground den and almost beamed her straight in the face. "We're trying to sleep! Go somewhere else with your scrabbling!"

"Calm down, Jasmine." Jasmine froze. Her muscles locked so tight she couldn't turn around. Slowly a white she-wolf padded around her, sitting in front of her with her tail tucked around her paws. "Sit."

Jasmine automatically did as she was told.

"Do you want to come with me at sunrise?"

"Yes!"

"Then what's the problem?"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Órfhlaith was nearby. According to a little bit of probing done by Nixkamich at Arrow, they'd been travelling for just about two weeks.

Duncan's grip hardened considerably on the fur of Jasmine's shoulders. He'd walked at first, but then the warlock had grown cold and started to slow and hesitate. Charlotte knew why. It was the spiritual pressure surrounding Órfhlaith affecting him.

Elena was acting strange too for some reason. Charlotte could hear her heartbeat speeding up, her blood rushing in her body. Jasmine was pressed close against her as they walked, helping in being her eyes and ears.

"How do you navigate so easily?" Asked Duncan, uneasy in the silence. "Your eyes hold no sight."

"Vampires have, eh... enhanced senses of hearing and touch. I hear things; rustle of leaves, sway of branches, scent various plants around. I feel... Vibrations in the earth beneath to help sense things that walk."

"Were you born blind?"

"Da. ...Er, yes."

Elena decided to speak up. "Then why didn't you get your vision when you were turned? I mean doesn't your healing factor repair damage?"

"The healing factor in a vampire's body has no mind." Duncan explained sombrely. Suddenly the land turned cold. It was as if it were dead. "The human body repairs damage such as cuts, but there are always scars. The vampire healing factor repairs new damage; the wound that killed the mortal side and any others based on information taken from the brain. The body will not scar unless a severe enough wound is dealt that the mind cannot heal fully. It will not heal scars from the mortal side of the human's life."

"My eyes never worked, therefore my body does not recognise anything other than blindness. I will it, focus it on healing or making change, but will not register. As far as mind is concerned, body is healthy. _Blegh!_ Your tongue is... awkward."

"So is yours," Duncan snickered. "But you're doing a good job speaking it."

"Taught by old... pack..." Charlotte's face wrinkled distastefully. She rasped her tongue over her fangs. "Is reason why Sharpclaw is blind in left eye. Old pack member turned bad, attacked him. But he already was weak sighted in left eye; old war injury. But enough talk. Órfhlaith is near."

"Who, or what, is Órfhlaith?" Asked Elena.

"Órfhlaith is... What would you call it...? Mage knows." Charlotte nodded to Duncan. "Old Irish creature. Banshee. Connected to spirit world, land of souls. They have unique powers; is how werewolves in Khimki can turn without full moon. But not as strong or fast. Just normal at moment."

"Banshee?" Elena was surprised. According to her "vast" knowledge, Banshees screamed. That was about all she knew.

"Banshee sing, tells of death. Also called Fallen Angels. Órfhlaith means... Gold princess. Warning: Do not look at face or touch anything."

The ice pool in front of them rippled. A distinct chill in the air caused Duncan to grab Elena's arm protectively. There was a low thrumming sound; a thick mist fell, shrouding them all like a blanket.

Órfhlaith stepped out of the lake.

Names:

Órfhlaith and Nixkamich taken from 20,000 names.


	29. Angels and Banshees

"_I wish to speak with the young one alone." _Órfhlaith inclined her head towards Elena.

Órfhlaith was a banshee. She hovered over the lake, her face hooded, a silver, wispy gossamer flowing around her like she was on fire.

Something within Elena stirred. Slowly the doppelgänger crossed the distance between them, glancing back towards Charlotte, Jasmine and Duncan as she approached Órfhlaith. Elena had never met a banshee before. In fact she wasn't even aware that they existed.

As if sensing her thoughts, Órfhlaith laughed. It was a song that echoed within her ears. The mist shifted abruptly like a _whooshing _sound like a hawk taking flight beside her head. "Werewolves, vampires and witches are not the only supernatural species. There are many more. Being a 'doppelgänger', you should know this."

"Why do you want to speak to me?" Elena queried. Remembering Charlotte's warning, she kept her gaze low and stared at the congregation of dying leaves at her feet.

Órfhlaith seemed to swim through the air around her. She landed there; Elena caught a glimpse of bony hands and stretched, wrinkled skin. Órfhlaith seemed to be an old woman, a ghost with no fixed form, yet somehow Elena felt a prickling sensation on her skin as the glowing outline brushed against her forearm.

"Charlotte's words rung true. Ordinarily, you should not stare a banshee in the eyes. But you need not worry. Your blood protects you."

Elena looked up, shaking slightly. Órfhlaith was cold. Her body was so cold and tainted and _dead. _It was eerie; her eyes were glowing, she was a white outline, each shadow was a ripple of energy over her body. She was an old woman who would have had white hair, very pale skin and, for some reason, Elena assumed she would have green eyes. Her voice was old, creaky, but echoed deep within the recesses of her mind.

"Why?" She asked. "Why me? How do you know what I am? No, _what_ am I?"

"Oh you poor thing, you've not awakened yet... Let us start with what _I _am." Órfhlaith suggested, and smiled sweetly. "You did hear Charlotte, didn't you? I am a banshee. However, a banshee is just another name." Órfhlaith coaxed her 'clothing' closer around herself, as if to protect herself from the wind. "A Fallen Angel, or a Weeping Angel. That is what I am. And you, dear child, are not so different from me."

Elena squinted at the elderly woman. "_What?_ I'm not so different to you. What does that mean? I'm... Some sort of... ghost?"

"No, dear. Not a ghost. You are an angel." Órfhlaith declared. "But you have not yet discovered your wings... Oh, they will be angry, they will. Not at you. At me, for telling you this." Elena tilted her head and stepped towards the hovering banshee. "We are not meant to interfere, but I never have been good at keeping to their rules. That's why I ended up Falling."

"Falling?"

"Yes, yes. I got into trouble with the Celestial Court, and they clipped my Wings. Angels have wings, you see. For flying. I didn't do anything bad. Let me see my family, I said. Not talk, just fly overhead, I said. They got angry. Clipped my wings, watched me Fall, and then deemed me one of the banshee."

"What's the difference between banshee and angels?"

"Angels use their wings for healing and for other things; our blood can heal so many injuries that a vampire cannot, but it is so very addictive. Banshee's wings are damaged; rather than heal, if we use them they will cause harm, and that leads people to think we are servants of the Lunar Court – that we are... swayed into dark deeds. Well, some of us are, but not all. But clipping our wings changes our abilities. Like witches, angels are meant to help keep the balance of nature, but without directly interfering. Banshees lose that ability and gain one to cause imbalance of nature, and we can directly interfere because there are technically no rules. No morals. That's how I've been able to manipulate the area around this forest; I make it so that the werewolves in the forest can change at will."

"So you... Got kicked out of the 'Celestial Court'...? What's that?"

"Angels. Angels who are powerful enough and deemed pure. Oh, but nothing is sacred any more. They are as poisoned to Power as the Lunar Court. They just refuse to acknowledge it." Órfhlaith paused. "I shouldn't be telling you this. Oh, they will be angry, they will."

"So I'm... Some sort of angel...?" Elena watched as Órfhlaith flew around and around. It was beginning to make her dizzy. "Can you stop that?"

What was that about her blood? It was so very addictive. That was what Órfhlaith had said. Did that mean... That Stefan was hooked on her blood? Because she was an angel?

"What do you mean that my blood is addictive?"

"Angel blood is pure, filled with Power." Órfhlaith stopped her 'pacing' and settled in front of Elena again. "It can heal injuries unseen and quell angry hearts. It is like a drug. Sometimes it helps, but it is dangerous. If you drink it enough times, in large quantities... It can cause even the most decent of men to resort to trickery."

Elena was beginning to wonder if Stefan was under the influence of her blood. Though this was all coming to a shock to her, she was desperate to explain his behaviour. Maybe it wasn't his fault. Maybe it was _hers!_

"How many times would you need to drink it?" Elena asked eagerly, dark eyes wide.

"Oh, it depends on how much you drink each time." Órfhlaith hummed. She snatched some dead leaves off of the ground and blew them on a weak gust of wind, swirling around Elena, stirring her hair. "It's not just the amount though. It's how often its drunk too. You don't just get addicted. You need to drink it and keep drinking it to be addicted."

Stefan had drunk her blood before, a long time ago. Back then he hadn't done it even after the first time; she couldn't remember him drinking her blood then. It had been _after _Klaus appeared. That was when it started. That compulsion in the gym... That had been a ruse. A chance for Klaus to get his work out in the open.

"He'd been compelled long before that," whispered Elena to herself. Or maybe he hadn't. Maybe it was his vampire side coming out. "Am I protecting him?"

Órfhlaith cocked her head at the question. "You are troubled."

"Someone has been stealing... Stealing my blood..." Elena gnawed at her lip. "And making me forget..."

"I know, love. Your heart is weeping." Órfhlaith clasped her hand and raised it. "Sometimes those we care most about blind us, and we miss some things – dangerous things – that we should have noticed before."

"I thought I knew him. I honestly thought I knew him. I thought I _loved_ him..."

Órfhlaith shrugged but smiled. "It seems to me like you're hanging on to him because he was your first true catch. And there's nothing wrong with that, believe me. It happened to me once, when I still had my Wings. But I caught my other in the arms of someone else; no reason, no explanation. It just happened."

"What did you do?"

"After a while, I accepted it. It hurt, obviously. But what could I do? He was happy. I found someone better. Someone I could trust. I lived a long and happy life. When I was older, I found out about my Powers. I died in Ireland and Flew, but then I Fell again here trying to find him." Órfhlaith smiled proudly. "And a fine one he was. I wouldn't change him for the world."

"...What was his name?" Elena asked gently.

Órfhlaith's gaze softened. "His name was Alasdair." She said.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"We won the race and recruited some cheerleaders!" Kol announced, bursting through the double doors leading to the den of the Dublin house. He flopped onto the couch, kicking his feet onto the armrest. "Go, team go!"

"It's not going to be the same here without Philip." Duncan sounded wistful. Dark almond-shaped eyes scanned over the luxury furniture in the room. Sighing, he settled himself onto a chair. "I miss them."

"They'll be back." Rebekah picked up a glass and poured herself some blood-laced whisky. "Don't you worry about them. Kol! Get your feet off of the sofa."

Kol lifted them briefly, wagged them in mid air and put them back down again. "Nope."

"I'm going for a shower." Elena murmured distractedly. She put down her bag, unravelled her scarf from her neck and scaled the wooden stairs.

"Don't take too long," Rebekah called up to her as she left. "I want one as well."

Arrow was silent. Staring straight past them all, out towards the balcony, he donned his brown leather overcoat and draped it over one of the arm chairs. Three weeks of travelling; there was one left for the others out in the field, and he was starting to become worried. What if they went overtime? What if something happened?

"They should be in Australia by now," he murmured to himself, rubbing his thumbnail against his lip. He briefly nibbled on the tip and then squinted in concentration.

Arrow really wished that this part of the journey was over. He wanted to be with his loved ones again. He wanted to see Alex, his fiancé. The engagement ring on his finger had reminded him of his love every time he flexed his hand, every time he picked something up or pushed his hands into his pockets – a habit that he had fallen into.

"I'm crashing the wedding." Kol swung himself onto the banister overlooking the ocean. He kicked his ruined shoes over the edge, watching them fall to their end. "When is it?"

Arrow laughed. "You expect me to tell you when you plan on crashing it?" He shook his head. "Not for some time, I'm afraid."

"Inconvenience courtesy of Niklaus, my pain in the ass half-brother." Kol swept his arm out in a mocking, gentlemanly way. "No man, woman or child is safe." There was a pause. "You're not part of the God Squad, are you? If you are, I'm still crashing your wedding. But with a shotgun."

"No, I'm not. But my fiancé has always been in favour of tradition." Arrow chuckled and shook his head. Curtains of gold danced with his movement. "Ironic. I broke away from it a long time ago. But I do like this little gem on my finger. It's quite charming. And it wards away other people who think I'm available."

"Ooh, watch out! We have a bad-ass over here." Kol swung onto the other side, hanging over a deadly precipice, and peered up at the other vampire. "Someone like you, come on man! You're _sexy_. And I don't make that comment freely. Just because I like you, 'kay? And don't tell my sister. She'll think I'm gay. _Again._ But you could get anyone you wanted!"

"So I've been told." Arrow pushed Kol's forehead back with a finger. "You're lucky, you know. I was tempted to let you squirm when Duncan pulled that stunt back in Russia. I only helped you out because of pity."

"_Pity!_" Kol exclaimed disbelievingly. Batting his hand away, the original peered around at the warlock, who was sleeping on the chair in the den. "And he did, didn't he? I'm gonna get him back for that. Move."

Arrow was shoved out of the way. Kol vanished in a blur but he could hear him doing something upstairs, messing with something, laughing manically.

"Maybe I should convert," he mumbled to himself. "I'll need all the help I can get with this one."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Damon kicked his foot against the wreckage of the old ship.

Elijah, clad in diving gear but with no breathing mask or oxygen tank, angled towards the sudden, distorted groan of the rusted metal. He jerked his head inquisitively.

"_Is this it?" _Damon mouthed silently. Elijah's pinpoint eyes locked onto his mouth and then to his hand as he lifted something up.

Elijah shone the torch on the object in Damon's hand. It was a safe with a lock that was rusted. The raven-haired vampire took his torch in his mouth, steadied the safe against his stomach and ripped the door from its damaged hinges. Papers, a jewel necklace, even a handbag was contained. Elijah shook his head. Damon shrugged, shoved the necklace into the bag and tied it around his belt. At Elijah's surprised look, he shrugged again, smirking slightly.

Disrespectful, perhaps. But nobody was using it, and they wouldn't want their precious things to rot for the rest of eternity.

Elijah's tongue blocked the water from flooding into his chest. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, pressed it against the top of his mouth to push the water out and shut it again to keep it out. With that done, he swam deeper into the old boat wreckage.

They were at Bondi Beach in Sydney, though quite far away from the shore. They'd been searching for an hour with no luck. Elijah's not-beating heart was starting to grow anxious, and not just because they hadn't found the last item.

Part of him didn't _want_ to find it. It was something deeply ingrained into his subconscious, nagging at him whenever he dreamed, gnawing at him whenever he woke. If they were to end Klaus's reign of tyranny, they had to channel the power of the lunar eclipse, so they needed an object that was connected the the lunar cycle by the magic of witches.

Suddenly he heard a strangled cry from Damon. He shot out of the ship and looked for his companion, and winced as a flash light glared at him. Damon was heading towards him, his eyes wide, pointing to something behind him.

Elijah tensed, expecting the worst – maybe an activated explosive, or they'd been found out by hybrids and they'd have to fight. What he didn't expect was a shark to swim close and stretch its jaws.

Damon let out an unmanly underwater squeal. Elijah hung his head shamefully. _"It's a god damn shark, not the Kraken." _He mouthed, motioning to the Grey Nurse. _"This species isn't even aggressive!"_

"_IT'S A SHARK." _Damon argued. _"YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY NEVER BEEN BITTEN BY ONE!"_

"_As a matter of fact I have. Surfing has its risks. Have you?" _Elijah asked, accompanying his silent conversation with a hand gesture.

Damon blanched.

"_Then why did you say you'd dive into shark infested waters and get me one of their teeth, when I asked if you trusted me?"_

"_IT WAS A FIGURE OF SPEECH."_

Elijah face-palmed. Circling around the boat curiously for a moment, the shark disappeared and reappeared a few moments later with a dolphin in tow. Now _that _Bottle-nose Dolphin he would recognise _anywhere_.

"_Atlantis!" _He grinned. Atlantis rammed into him, letting out cheeps of joy and nuzzling his stomach, swimming around and around the two. Elijah clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

Atlantis whistled. The series of noises he let out made it sound as if he were trying to explain something, but it soon became clear what the grey creature was doing. He was using sonar to detect things within the corpse of the abandoned ship.

"_Hold on,"_ Elijah pointed towards Thalassa. Damon stared at him as if he were insane. _"She's not going to bite you. It's Caroline."_

"_How do you know that?"_

"_Can _you_ hear a heartbeat?"_


	30. Turn Back the Pendulum: Nightmares

_Nearly a whole month after Henrik had been slaughtered by the werewolves, Elijah was practising with his trusty blade. A beautifully crafted sword, single edged, with a hilt that had chipped away at and refined to make it easier on his hands. The blade curled up at the tip slightly like a silver fang beneath the sun. It had been made specifically for him; in return he'd given the blacksmith a new cabinet and repaired his old dining table, which had creaked and been on the verge of breaking. Well, actually he'd destroyed the old one and rebuilt a better one. The old one had been too far gone to save._

_Trees hummed all around him. Whistles of wind through grass soothed his mind as he danced throughout the training camp, parrying and jabbing at invisible enemies visible only in his mind. He pictured a young bandit, inexperienced in combat, moving clumsily. When he'd dispatched that ghostly spectre, he pictured someone much more experienced, and the game began anew._

_Werewolves had killed his youngest brother, Henrik. Since then he'd become a frustrated, restless person, unable to concentrate out of guilt and grief. While he was the calmest of his family at times, his emotions ran so much deeper. Frustration became anger, anger became rage. Tiredness became exhaustion and grief became despair._

_The werewolves weren't at fault. Their nature was to hunt and kill; they were monsters, but everyone knew to avoid them. Their homicidal rage was spurred by the shifting of the tides; the full moon's presence. Even humans changed during this time without realising it. Witches and warlocks were probably the only ones that could actually sense the shift in cosmic energy, aside from perhaps angels and banshees._

_Unlike his siblings, and his father, he didn't blame the werewolves for Henrik's death. No, it was the person that had allowed it to happen. He blamed the person that had opened the door to that... inopportune opportunity, whereby Henrik had been lured outside and slaughtered like cattle._

_A spectre of Klaus stood before him, sword in hand, and suddenly Elijah's attacks became all the more vicious and fuelled. Klaus was a good sword fighter, on par with Elijah, but Elijah had one vital advantage over his brother._

"_Elijah!"_

_Klaus vanished. Elijah, his sword raised and eyes widening with alarm, stared at his father in surprise. Mikael had his sword brandished, most likely for self-defence, but he attacked with the fierceness of a spitting snake. The glint of light blinded him temporarily and he hit the ground under a sweeping kick, landing on his back with his sword in hand._

_Mikael's sword crashed down upon him. Elijah brought his up to protect himself, bashing the edge with the broadside of his weapon and twisting it to perform a slightly awkward sidewards slash at his father._

_Mikael, startled at the speed, stepped back. His son rolled neatly, flipping to his feet, and took up a fighting stance. "Good, Elijah. Impressive speed. You have been practising. Come at me, son!"_

_Elijah smiled and bowed respectfully to his father, who bowed back. It was a friendly match and Elijah always fought honestly, unlike his stupid brother Klaus. He must have said his out loud; Elijah was laughing as their swords clashed._

"_If I die in battle, I would rather die with my pride, father." He grunted as Mikael's sword came down near his ear. He side-stepped, knocked Mikael's strong swing away with his broadside, spun on his heel and kicked his father square in the chest._

_Mikael choked on his breath. His stance allowed him an effective amount of control, so he only stepped back briefly to kick himself forward. There was an angry glint in his eyes. "You hesitated, didn't you? That kick was not as powerful as usual."_

_Elijah wiped the gathering sweat on his brow. "No, father. I have been practising for several hours without rest. I am tired, that is all."_

_Mikael looked briefly indecisive, then nodded in understanding. "Alright. Try to knock the sword from my hand. When you do, we can rest."_

_It was about another fifteen minutes before he managed that. He tripped his father by first shocking him, making his muscles lock up. Then he pulled his father into a joint lock, making him forcibly drop his sword, kicked him forward to get him away from it and pointed the tip of his blade at Mikael's throat._

_Now there was an angry gleam in his eyes. "You were going easy on me," Elijah accused. "Normally I would never be able to disarm you, even if I was well rested. Why?"_

_Mikael laughed, brushed his sword away with a flick of his wrist and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You can't stand here and tell me you're not about to drop, Elijah. You're exhausted. I didn't want to drag you home and explain to my wife why another of her sons has died."_

_Elijah inwardly winced, but outwardly just blinked thoughtfully. He picked up his father's sword and passed it back to him. Mikael put it away immediately._

_~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~_

"_It's the full moon tonight." Mikael murmured quietly, lifting a flask of wine to his lips. He took a small sip; the flavour washed over his taste buds. It was a little overwhelming, and the aged viking warrior wrinkled his nose at the sharp taste before passing it to his son. "Ooh."_

_Elijah gazed up at the sky. It was darkening. Every instinct was ordering him to return to his family, to make sure they were in the underground tunnels so the werewolves wouldn't harm them. Lifting the flask to his lips, he savoured the powerful taste for a moment before recoiling. He squinted at the drink in bewilderment and passed it back to his father. "What is that? It's very strong."_

"_Wine. We confiscated it from some bandits a while back. It's taste is just as strong as its bite." Mikael chuckled and took a swig that made Elijah cringe just looking. "Drink up, Elijah. The night is young."_

"_But the werewolves..." Elijah glanced over his shoulders warily. "They'll be in this forest soon. We should leave. If we're lucky, we can get to the edge of the village before the moon hits its peak-"_

"_It's fine." Mikael waved him off and pressed the flask into his hands. "I've found somewhere safe not far from here. I've sheltered there once. Big enough for the both of us."_

_Elijah knew better than to argue with his father. Reluctantly he settled down again on the grass, staring out at the river in front of him. It was a small river with pristine water that the entire village drank from. It was rimmed with pebbles and stepping stones that seemed to glow under the moon._

_Lifting his hand up to his mouth, he coughed lightly and spat out the phlegm into the grass._

"_You've had that cough for days," Mikael observed. He scratched the stubble growing on his chin. Dark eyes locked with dark eyes. "You should ask Ayana to have a look at you. I don't want you falling ill. Those bandits have been lurking around recently. If they do plan an attack, I don't want you collapsing with fever."_

_Elijah smiled slightly. It was a simple cough. "It's nothing to worry about," he begun, but as his father turned to stare at him, he pointedly added, "But I'll go and see Ayana. Tomorrow. For now, the moon is almost at its peak. We should ride fast, father, lest the wolves catch our scent."_

_Mikael snorted and grabbed the hilt of his sword as if to reassure himself that it was by his side. "With two seasoned swordsmen and one warlock, what wolf would dare challenge us?"_

"_A stupid one, a powerful one," Elijah shrugged. Inwardly he was smiling at his father's praise. It wasn't often he gave it out. "But then again, we could take the powerful one."_

"_And the stupid one?"_

"_It can take care of itself."_

"_You can take care of yourself too," Mikael murmured, passing him the flask again. He motioned for his son to drink, his eyes filled with something unidentifiable. Elijah took a swig of the wine and closed the latch. "You and your brothers, and your sister."_

"_Are you drunk?"_

"_No." Mikael shook his head, finished off the flask and threw it aside. "But I need to be, son. By God, I need to be."_

"_...Why?"_

_Mikael shook his head. There was a strange look in his eyes. It was eerie. Haunted. A shiver crept down Elijah's spine and, for some reason, his magic felt like it was being sapped out of his body. Why was it abandoning him?_

"_Father?"_

_Elijah leapt back just as Mikael's sword screamed inches in front of his face. He grasped for his own and gripped the hilt through whitened knuckles._

_Mikael started attacking in a series of expertly executed attacks at a speed that Elijah was struggling to cope with. Why was Mikael attacking him? If he really was drunk, he wasn't showing it at all. He was moving fluidly with the speed and power of a striking serpent._

"_Stop! Father, stop!"_

_Mikael, if anything, seemed to just fight harder. Elijah hissed; his father's foot connected with his stomach. Blood and saliva sprayed from his mouth and onto the floor. The sword whistled as Mikael slashed at him – he barely avoided a deep gash to his shoulder._

_Why was he being attacked? It made no sense. He'd been getting praised not long ago and in that time he couldn't have possibly angered his father to deserve this-_

_A clean cut across his chest. Elijah stared in shock at his father, who suddenly seemed to be hesitating. Out of instinct, he rushed forward and punched his opponent, using his elbow to distract him while he yanked the larger blade from his father's iron grip. As he fought, he stupidly grabbed the blade itself and recoiled in sharp pain. Throwing it away, he wiped his injury across the front of his shirt and turned to flee._

_Mikael grabbed his wrist and used the very same joint lock that he'd used on him earlier. The sword tumbled from his grip and fell into Mikael's waiting hand. Elijah curled his leg around Mikael's calf and tried to trip him, but he couldn't lean back._

"_Let me go! Let me go!"_

"_I have to do this. You'll understand some day, Elijah!" Mikael roared. Elijah was kicked forward. He fell onto his stomach. He tried to free himself but Mikael was heavy and had him pinned; one foot on his shoulder blades, his toes applying pressure to his neck, the other at the base of his spine, pushing down whenever he tried to move his legs. He couldn't look behind him. It was as if he were blind. Mikael had his own blade and was going to use it against him._

"_Traitor!" Elijah spat. His father had trained him to be a fighter. It was showing through now, for good or for bad. "Kill me and I will haunt you to your grave! The witches will see to it!"_

"_I do not fear witches. And I am not going to 'kill' you. There is something else in store for you, my son. For this, you will thank me."_

_Elijah growled furiously. "For what?"_

"_For giving you all that you have ever wanted. The power to protect your brothers and sisters."_

"_I don't need any more power to protect my family!"_

"_Yes, my son. You do."_

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The sword fell from Elijah's shaking hands. So many memories were associated with this weapon. So many nightmares. It haunted him. It stuck to him like the plague. As he stood in front of the mirror in the hotel room, he ripped his shirt off and stared at his own reflection. He stared at the various scars over his body, given to him over the years. He stared at the long diagonal scar over his chest. He looked at his hand – that wound was long gone, but he swore he could still see it, very, very faintly. There was a nick just where his stilled heart was, and it burned.

Some would argue that vampires were princes and princesses of the night, granted with immediate, seductive beauty. Bullshit. You died as you lived, beautiful or ugly, vain or kind. Except, when you trespassed into the realm of the undead, you were cursed. A vampire never forgot the wound that killed them.

Even now, a thousand years on... it still hurt.

Emotions already turbulent, the voice of Damon Salvatore entering the room made him jump. Of course. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. But Damon couldn't have come in at a worse time. The sword lay abandoned on the floor. There was a dangerous air around it. It had been used to kill on a full moon – the unique lunar eclipse that had signalled the start of Klaus's reign of terror. It was stained with blood and Power. In their hands, it would signal the end.

"That's the blade that killed you." His voice was quiet, gentle, but also concerned. Not too long ago Damon would have laughed and probably relished in the sight of the 'great original vampire' trembling like a frightened child.

He walked up slowly, glanced at the sword and leaned down to pick it up. But he did so slowly, like he were a mouse walking into a lion's den.

"My father killed me. The blade was the means."

"Why did you bring us all the way to Sydney to get this?" Damon asked. "How did it get here?"

Elijah shook his head and turned away, still shaking. His black shirt was pretty much shredded. The nail marks from where he'd grabbed it were stretched into claw marks and there was a deep gash over the front, where the fabric had ripped.

He was shaking out of fear. Out of rage. Right now all of the emotions in his vampire body were thrashing like some enraged, seizing beast. He wanted to tear the walls down. He wanted to kill. His heart screeched yes, his head begged no. He wanted desperately to sate the hunger growing within his veins, but he also wanted not to, because he didn't want that kind of power. He didn't want to...

"Philip and Caroline are out," Damon looked like he was bordering on a decision: running like hell or staying and praying he didn't get completely mauled. "They're both looking for something to eat. They'll bring us something back."

"Why are you still here?" Elijah's voice came out a lot angrier than he meant it to. In fact he hadn't meant for it to sound angry in the first place.

Damon's lazuline eyes regarded him with something like trepidation. He placed the sword down on the coffee table and lowered his eyes in contemplation. "I figured you could use someone to talk to." He confessed. "Ever since we found that chest with the sword in... I can't explain it, but you've been... Anxious... Angry... I mean you looked at the chest like you wanted nothing to do with it. You wanted to shove it back in there and just forget about the whole thing."

"I did. I still do." Elijah muttered.

Damon sighed. "It'll be okay."

Elijah smiled weakly. "It could always be worse."

Damon tilted his head, stepped up to him and examined the scars. "Ouch. That one must've been a bitch." He pointed to one along his ribcage.

"That one was given to me by Cross Lockwood. Niklaus's half-brother." Elijah stated.

Damon looked taken aback. "Klaus is a Lockwood?!"

"If you're wondering if Klaus and I related to Tyler Lockwood, you're correct. But very, very distantly. So many generations have passed and the family has branched out all over the world, it'd be impossible to determine anything at this point. Haven't you wondered about Klaus's special treatment of Tyler? They're family, and he knows it."

"But I thought your father killed Klaus's father when he found out he was a bastard." Damon sounded slightly vindictive, pronouncing the word as if it were important.

"He killed Cross's entire family, except for my half-brother. But the Lockwood family at that time was one of the main werewolf bloodlines; there were others in different villages, and in different cities. Tyler was most likely born of one of the other villages, and descended from them. But they are related."

"A thousand years," mumbled Damon, pouting. "Damn." He returned to examining the scars. "I guess that's something else we have in common." He said distractedly.

"What?"

"Both killed by our a-holes of fathers." Damon pointed at the small scar over his heart. He lifted his shirt up slightly and motioned to his own. "Gunshot. 1864. Bloody hurt too."

"Still have the gun?"

"Somewhere." Damon straightened his black shirt again. "I never got rid of it. Dunno why. I wanted to, but..."

"Strange connection to them," Elijah murmured. "Some say a part of our soul connects to the weapon that kills us. Every vampire – well, most of them – tend to keep that weapon, or search for it at some point."

"Agh not that spiritual stuff," Damon muttered. "I leave that to the witches. Life is one, big, proverbial coin toss. Except I bet mine has two tails."

Elijah sat down beside him, taking the sword back in his hands. "Two tails... Well I hope luck is on our side when we go against Klaus."

"Three weeks until D-day." Damon pulled a face. "We don't need luck, Elijah. We have an indestructible stake, originals, werewolves, vampires and witches on our side. Not to mention we've got balls. And me. Don't forget me."

Elijah was silent. Calloused, carpenters fingers ran over the broadside of the blade, gentle and probing. His eyes were unfocused and unseeing. Damon had seen this sort of behaviour before. What made him nervous was that it was from Elijah, and he hadn't seen this before. In him it felt different. It felt wrong.

And when Damon was uncomfortable, he showed this through humour. "Is this shiny metal stick bothering you?" He asked. "I bet you could beat it up." Elijah blinked at him. Damon grinned. "Come on, you need some fresh air. Let's have a break and run around Australia for a few hours – travelling is boring." Suddenly he reached out and grabbed Elijah's wrist.

"But I don't breathe-!"


	31. Elena's Dilemma

The soft patter of feet told him that he wasn't alone. From the scent being pushed from the window at the edge of the hall, he knew it was Duncan and Philip that were trailing him.

They were the only two that he allowed in his room. Elijah preferred having at least one place where he could have complete privacy so he rarely allowed anyone inside. Although the two were technically seventy and over a hundred years old, they were biologically trapped as a seven and nine year old, and had the mindset of said children. Nightmares bothered them both, and according to Caroline and Rebekah, they'd both been having them more frequently as of late.

Four weeks, three days. Punctuality was important for Elijah; he liked professionalism, so it was unusual. But Damon had insisted that they stop for a while on the way back to keep everyone's morale up. Damon's snarky nature had vanished as of late but it would return. Elijah was certain of it.

"Eli?" Philip sounded hesitant. Elijah turned around, propping the sword against the wall of his bedroom. "Can we talk to you for a minute?"

"As long as you need. Is something the matter?" Well of course something was, otherwise they wouldn't be starting this conversation.

Duncan shut the door and then both children took up a seated position on the edge of Elijah's bed. "Kinda," said the Bennett warlock. "Philip and I talked about this when you all got back a few hours ago. We wanted to bring it up but not in front of the others."

"We want to fight." Philip said. "We want to fight beside you against Klaus. We don't want to sit back and hang around here while you go off and fight in a war."

"You could get killed." Something had told Elijah to prepare for this conversation. However, no matter how much preparation went into this, it was still a shock to his system to be placed in the situation.

"So could you." Duncan's smug, sarcastic tone earned him a glare from his brother. "I can help keep the barriers up and use spells with the other witches to keep the battle contained. I already fought against some kitsunes back in the Khimki forest, and those wolves in Paris. Philip's a great martial artist and he can hold his own in a fight."

"You fought kitsunes in the forest?" Elijah couldn't hide his surprise.

"And I fought sharks," Philip raised his head proudly. His emerald eyes gleamed.

"And I met a Banshee!"

"Oh yeah, well I met a guy called Dave, and-"

"Could we get back on topic please?" Elijah queried. Despite getting back a few hours before, he wanted to have a long soak in the bath and then sleep until the next morning. "You want to fight...?"

"Yeah." Said the two in unison.

Elijah stared at the floor for a moment. He'd allowed Elena freedom because she hadn't had any. These two had been free all of their lives; he'd disciplined them when necessary, but they were his kids. Not biological, but they didn't need to be. They were his kids and he didn't want to see them hurt.

_The witches can protect Duncan. Regarding Philip, I... _

"I'll think about it," Elijah waved his hand dismissively. "Right now I need to rest. And so do you, Philip."

The two didn't seem satisfied at his reply, but they shuffled off of his bed and scurried outside. Elijah was concerned he might have upset them, but a few seconds after leaving he heard the tell-tale crunch of a jawbreaker and Duncan asking who 'Dave' was.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Arrow was anxiously circling the den.

It was nearing midday. Duncan was playing Pokémon on the television. Philip, Caroline, Damon and Elijah were sleeping. Elena was starting to rouse; he could hear her heartbeat quicken and the swoosh of sheets as she dragged herself back to reality.

Kol was... Arrow really didn't know what Kol was doing, and part of him didn't _want_ to know, judging by the strange sounds coming from upstairs. Tyler was out on the beach and Rebekah had "twokked" Elijah's SUV and was driving around Dublin for some reason. Probably to escape Kol.

Within the next few days, something was going to happen. Not the battle, oh no, that wasn't for another week. But something equally as nerve wrecking was going down. And it wasn't his fiancé coming either. Not that would be a bad thing, mind you. Having thought about his partner constantly, it was obvious that he missed Alex.

Damon groaned, rubbing his head. It felt fuzzy, but that was just the alcohol from the previous night. "Are you planning on making a moat in the floor?"

Frowning, Arrow turned to the elder Salvatore brother. "Sorry."

"No please, continue. It's not my house." Damon shrugged, swiped up the kettle from the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. One sip caused the young vampire to wrinkle his nose and pour it down the sink. "Ugh! Decaf. Who drinks _decaf_?"

"Someone, obviously," murmured Duncan distractedly. Suddenly he threw his arms into the air. The controller flew over the table. "Oh come on!"

Damon started pouring himself what he said was a "real" cup of coffee and sat down on the den couch. "This is a man's breakfast," he said. "Coffee. Milk, no sugar, bit of whiskey, bit of human blood. Mmm!" he licked his lips happily. "Delicious."

"Make me one, please," Arrow asked, nudging a strand of blond behind his ear. "I think I'm going to need it."

Damon smirked, swirled the coffee in his hand and strutted past him. "Sure thing boss," he drawled.

Arrow rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Room service here stinks." He retorted.

"Aw, don't be a party pooper." A cup was thrust into his hands. It smelled odd. Arrow lifted it up to his mouth and took a sip. He must have made some sort of delighted face because Damon choked a laugh with his in his mouth.

"Make me some please." Duncan mumbled, fixated on his game. "Kindly leave out the blood."

"And me," yawned Kol. "Come on, chop chop. Get to it."

Damon glanced at them both. "What am I? Some kind of slave?"

Wrong answer. Kol attempted to boot him into the kitchen. Damon danced out of the way and balanced on the arm chair, bare footed, taking another swig of his drink. Kol was staring at him. It was the kind of stare that was unnerving and challenging at the same time. It was daring Damon to do _something_.

"It's too early to deal with you," he moaned.

"Get in the kitchen, woman!" Kol jeered.

Also the wrong answer. Elena was standing in the door way; a look of annoyance flashed over her face and she huffed indignantly. She turned and walked straight into Elijah, who blinked in weary confusion at having someone's face implanted into his chest. Elena backed up and blushed furiously.

"Is there a problem?"

"Kol's being sexist and Damon's being lazy!" Duncan whined. "And I still don't have my coffee!"

"We are not!" Both shouted defiantly.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

Elijah twitched. "Maybe I'll go for a walk on the beach, swim a few laps..."

"I think I'll join you," said Elena.

Elijah walked alongside the wall of the den, out onto the porch and around the house, pausing to allow Elena through first. The sounds of argument gave way to a brief scuffle, which was then broken up by Arrow – surprisingly – shouting like a drill sergeant at the two.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena laughed as Elijah was tackled by a German Shepherd. Riki clambered all over him, her tail wagging excitedly. Bewildered, he struggled against the lifeguard dog's happy 'kisses' and shoved her off, wiping his chin with his sleeve.

Then it was Elena's turn. Riki pinned her to the floor, except this time she couldn't escape the smothering golden fur and licks over her face. She was aware of Elijah laughing at her in revenge. "He- ah, no, plea- get-!"

A few moments later, Riki stopped and hopped off. Elena's clothes and hair were sandy, her arm had a slight graze from Riki's claws and her face felt like she'd washed her face and not dried it properly.

"Stop laughing!" Elena was so used to being around Damon, so she was surprised when she swatted at Elijah's arm. He lifted his arm defensively, pulled her over his shoulder and dumped her unceremoniously into the water. The move was so quick that she'd only registered what he was doing when his arm was around her waist.

Riki barked. The German Shepherd gave him a hearty shove. Straight into the water.

"Justice!" Elena exclaimed.

"_RIKI!"_

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Wes was looking out from the lifeguard tower through his binoculars, his eyes rimmed with black ink circles that he hadn't yet noticed. One of his colleagues had decided to play a prank on him, it seemed. He only noticed this when he felt something trail down the side of his nose, wiped at what he perceived to be sweat and was rewarded with a horrific smudge on the back of his hand.

Oh it was a good day today. Not too hot, not too cold. It was winter but that didn't stop the surfers from coming and trying out their skills on the windy tides. They were a few lifeguards short; several of his colleagues had come down with the flu. One had called in and said he'd somehow got pneumonia, which meant he had a lovely stay in the local hospital.

But unfortunately that left him with the lifeguard they 'affectionately' nicknamed Prankster, because of his need to prank, and, because if you so much as blinked, you were just asking for it. Right now 'Prankster', whose real name was Richie, was out on the sand. He could see the idiot in the distance patrolling the very edge of the beach.

December Grace was on duty. Riki was up with Hugo near Elijah's house. He tried to look through the binoculars but held them in front of him a few inches. As he scanned the water, though, he caught something under the water. Something moving.

What _was_ it? It was light, like sand, but patched dark as well. Whatever it was, it started thrashing, and suddenly he jumped over the railing. The impact of hitting the sand jarred his bones considerably and made him stumble.

"God damn idiot!" Panted the grey-haired Australian. He could get there in time. He could save the drowning tourist. But the main problem: he had no board. The jeeps were already out and so was one jet ski. It would take minutes to get the second out, and by that time the victim would be sleeping with fish.

He had no board. He could swim, but that rip looked powerful. Getting sucked in was the last thing on his mind, so he did the one thing he knew he could do. Sucking in a long, deep breath, he let out a bellow that would have attracted the attention of a quarter of the beach.

"_RIKI!"_

Riki wasn't that far along the beach, he hoped. Plunging into the water, he put all of his experience to use. Whoever this person was, they hadn't obeyed the flags. How could they be missed? It depicted someone swimming with a bar across it. Clearly that meant _don't swim here moron,_ right?

Howling responded to his call. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Riki was ploughing through the sand like a bat out of hell, dragging along a surf board behind her. There was someone chasing after them – it looked like... Was that Elena? And the shadow behind her, was that Elijah?

Shaking away his surprise, Wes reached out as Riki charged into the water after him, dragging the board along with her. Despite the lack of webbed feet, she was undoubtedly fast. Unfortunately they hadn't been fast enough. Whoever was underneath the water had stopped thrashing and gone limp, and that usually meant one thing.

Instinct and the need for air had become too great, and the part of the brain responsible for breathing had decided to take matters into its own... hands... and force a breath in. Obviously a bad idea in this case.

Wes mounted his surf board and clicked the panic button on his radio, which was clipped to his belt. Panic buttons were used only in the direst of situations; mass rescues, shark attacks, or when someone needed help and needed help fast. Someone would drag the resuscitation equipment out and an ambulance would be called.

Wes reached in and attempted to heave the victim out of the water. The rip was powerful; the waves pushed him back towards the shore. It was difficult.

_Ksh. _"Who hit the panic button?"

"Ambulance is en route. I'm getting the resus' out."

"I think Wes punched it, guys. The tower's unmanned. I... Why is there ink on the-!? Hang on..."

A shadow slipped beneath the waves; he looked down and saw distorted dark eyes staring up at him, felt the victim pushed up onto his board. Wes held on tight to the victim; a young man, a dark mop of hair, wearing a dark set of trunks.

He got to shore as quickly as he could and lay the patient down. People were starting to gather, keeping their distance.

"Riki, sing!" Wes ordered. Riki threw back her head and began to howl. Elena rushed up and knelt beside Wes. He started checking his airway, pulse, and then began CPR. It wasn't long before the other lifeguards arrived. When they did, they arrived to see two people working on reviving the dying man: Wes and Elijah. Elena hung back.

She was desperate to help, but she was frozen to the spot. After all of her training in CPR, she'd have thought she would be confident enough to go straight in, but... Watching the two struggling to save a life frightened her. Wes was breathing heavily and murmuring things into his radio between blowing into the victim's mouth, filling his lungs. Elijah looked as calm as ever; he didn't need to breathe, being a vampire. He pushed on the dying man's chest gently. With each thrust, Elena found herself counting. Fifteen. Breath. Fifteen. Breath.

Why was she just watching? Why couldn't she do anything? She'd wanted to be free, to do things her own way! She'd fought against vampires, watched people die around her – she'd even died herself! And the journey, she'd fought against kitsunes. She was getting ready for war! So why... Why couldn't she do something as simple as this?

"Elena!" December ran up from somewhere – she hadn't even realised the lifeguard was nearby. "Elena, help us out."

December was soaked. It was like she'd been in the water. But that was ridiculous; she'd have heard if the lifeguard had been in the water, right? Elena ran forward – the invitation seemed to have shattered some glass barrier in her mind. Everything she'd been taught suddenly rushed into the front of her head.

"Where's the resus gear?" Shouted Wes down his radio.

The voice that came back was breathless and strained. "Sorry – rescuing someone – one second! Hunter! Hunter, get over here!"

Hunter was one of the other lifeguard dogs. A Saluki breed, their fastest dog, but not entirely bright or strong. He wasn't a good swimmer and he was the youngest out of them all. Running fast was about the only thing he could do.

December pulled her to the man's head. "Breathe into his mouth every fifteen presses. Just as we practised. I'm going to run and get some gear."


	32. Arrow's Truth

Four hours after the incident, Elena was sparring with Elijah. He was unarmed; she, on the other hand, had a "knife" in her hand that was actually a piece of wood snapped to resemble a deadly blade. With the tip and edge rounded and dull, it was just a practice weapon. Completely harmless.

"You did your best." Elena spun and tried to slash Elijah. He blocked and redirected her arm. She took a step back; he followed, and she tried a simple stabbing motion instead. "He either ignored the signs, didn't see them or got dragged into the rip."

"I froze." Elena stopped. She lowered the wooden knife. "I forgot what to do, Elijah. I didn't act."

"You were afraid." Elijah cracked each knuckle in turn before taking up a basic stance. "Elena, you can't blame yourself for this. You tried. You figured it out in the end, and you could have saved that man's life today."

"I wasn't strong enough, Elijah! Don't you understand? I hesitated. The only reason I acted when I did was because December told me to help." Elena didn't realise she was bordering on shouting until Elijah's ear twitched from the volume. Annoyed and slightly embarrassed, she lowered her voice a few octaves. "I want freedom. I don't want to be ordered around any more. I want to fend for myself!"

Elijah nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. I also think I understand what you're feeling right now. But you need to remember that for just over a year now, all you've done is take orders from others. It's become normal to you; you're a follower, but you need to be a leader."

"So what do I do about it?" Elena asked. "Damon's still at my heels about me going to fight in this upcoming battle. Kol's comments earlier didn't exactly help."

"That sexist jibe?"

"Yes."

Elijah frowned. Kol hadn't actually meant that. It had been an attempt to rile Damon up and get him to provide entertainment. "My brother can be... stupid... sometimes." He said carefully, lest said brother be eavesdropping. Elijah wouldn't put it past Kol. In fact he expected it. "He often says things he doesn't mean."

"Well he made a good job of it," Elena growled. She noticed Elijah shift briefly out of his stance and remembered that they were meant to be sparring and not arguing. She dropped back, raised her arm and started attacking.

"You need to start making your own decisions." Elijah allowed her to get a hit on him in order to boost her confidence. It worked; she sped up, got stronger. "How about – stance! Keep in stance. How about we talk more about that idea of yours? Back before we journeyed, you talked to me about the grenades."

"I remember. Using a mixture of vervain and wolfsbane on hybrids to cause as much damage as possible." Elena was beginning to push Elijah back now. Something told her that he was letting her do this; the other part of her didn't care. "The only problem with it would be the effect it would have on our own side... Damon and Philip, even you would get hurt by the vervain, and Tyler and Charlotte and the rest of her pack would get hurt by the wolfsbane."

Elijah flicked his head to get the curl of russet hair away from his eyes. "So what are you going to do about it?"

Elena paused. "I... Don't know..." She stabbed at him distractedly.

"Surely there must be some way of giving us an advantage." Elijah was smiling at her now, blocking her moves, pushing her back. "You're an intelligent woman; you can think of something. It is your idea, after all."

Elena started thinking about it. They were in a war, right? Maybe if she thought like a soldier... Elijah caught her shoulder in a palm thrust and she toppled over. He caught her before she could hit the ground and pulled her back up.

"You've been through a lot today. Why don't you take a break? We can continue this later." Elijah wasn't just referencing to the earlier incident on the beach. "You can think about what we've talked about a little more. If you've any other ideas, you can develop them a bit. Meet me here at... seven?"

It struck Elena then that Elijah was giving her responsibility. He was giving her control over something – the grenades. The weapons they were going to use. He'd said that he'd think about it before, but he wasn't. He was making _her_ think about it.

Starstruck, she bowed and backed away. "O- Of course, I'll do that!"

Elijah smiled. "Excellent. And another thing – if you need help, perhaps asking Arrow would prove useful. He served in the military for quite a lot of his life, not just as a field medic."

Arrow. Of course! Arrow would have ideas on various weapons that they could use! Elena made a mental note of this as she ran out of the door, but didn't expect Damon to be walking down the corridor towards them. His nose twitched at the scent of sweat but he said nothing.

"Hey. I have some news." He said. "That man from the beach? He survived. The lifeguards called. They say it looks good for him."

That piece of news brightened up Elena's day completely. She grinned. Her eyes were pools of mirth.

Elijah brushed against her as he passed. "I heard. That's good news. Well done, Elena. You helped to save a life!"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Weapons?" Arrow pursed his lips. There was a comb stuck in his wavy blond hair. Elena was tempted to pull it out, but the vampire did it himself and started tugging out the small wind knots. "Yes, I used a lot in my time in the army. I served in the First and Second World War, as a matter of fact."

"I need some tactics that we can use. The place the battle will take place on is already being prepared; it's large, secluded. No human will be able to find it, and witches will be enchanting the area with all kinds of spells. Bonnie and Lucy will be coming; they're bringing some friends." The words were falling from Elena's lips. She was excited. Excited to be fighting, and that made Arrow's brow raise in surprise. "It'll be like we're fighting in a whole different dimension, I guess."

Arrow listened intently as Elena described various possibilities about the battle. The longer she talked, the more ideas he got. After her training with Elijah, she'd changed from robes into a purple shirt and black shorts. Arrow was wearing green and black khaki trousers and a loosened T-shirt the shade of damp sand.

"Land mines?" He suggested. "Mines buried under the ground, rigged with a small explosive. If you mix vervain and wolfsbane and put them within the mines, detonating it would release the two poisons and spray them all over the hybrids. It would hurt them; the explosions would be collateral damage, but the spray would also affect their healing."

Elena wrote it down eagerly. "Are there any side effects?"

Arrow was slouching in the chair. He continued brushing his hair as he thought. "The scent would disorientate our side as well as theirs, and we'd have to stay far back, lest we get caught up in the spray as well."

That would prove a problem. Maybe if the witches put up a barrier at the moment of detonation? The mines wouldn't hurt them then, but the stench would. But that would overtax them. Elena had no idea how many witches were actually going to turn up. She only knew of three; Bonnie, Lucy and...

In Khimki she'd wondered about whether Arrow was the second hybrid. She hadn't pursued it, but she hadn't seen anything to suggest that he was. If he did know magic, he didn't show it. He hadn't used it.

"You seem strong for a vampire." She'd have to be tactful. Any wrong word could shoot her down before he gave anything away. "How old did you say you were?"

"Older than five hundred." Arrow replied simply. He jerked his head, parted his hair and kept on brushing. "Thanks for the compliment. You're strong for a human too."

Elena smiled slightly. "Thanks. So, uh, how'd you and Elijah meet?"

Arrow snorted humorously. "I honestly don't remember. I'm sure we sat down and had a drink together. Nothing special, if that's what you're asking."

"You must be pretty close, if you're willing to fight for him." Elena swore Arrow's lazy gaze turned into a hardened glare. It was a split second change.

"I'd die for him." Arrow said bluntly. He set the comb down on the nearby table and eyed her warily. "I don't mind you asking about things that will help in this fight, but you're pushing a bit too close for comfort asking about my private life."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

Arrow sighed and shook his head. "No, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I've had a lot on my mind recently, and... well, I've been a soldier most of my life. I'm conditioned to be cautious of everyone I don't know too well, if you know what I mean."

Meaning he was suspicious of how she was acting. Aware she'd blown her chance, Elena nodded and rose. Though Arrow was calm, she got the distinct impression that she'd overstepped the line.

"It's my fault. Sorry. Well, I've got some good ideas here, so I'll just work on these for now."

Arrow watched her leave. She was asking a lot of questions, and he was wanting to know why...

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Arrow? Is everything alright?"

"It's time they knew the truth, Elijah. Elena has been asking questions about me."

"Are you sure? Once this information is out, you can't take it back."

"Yes. I'm tired of hiding. You know about me, but they don't. There's just over a week left..."

"It's your decision. I'll respect that."

"Are you going to tell them about...?"

"No."

"...I'll tell them. And Elijah... Thanks."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Oh, it's happy hour, is it?" Kol traipsed into the room, grinning maniacally. Plopping himself down beside his sister, he spread himself out as much as he could on the eight seater. "So, what's this meeting about?"

Rebekah was gazing at Elijah. He and Arrow were by the window, talking quietly. They were talking in a different language that she could catch snippets of, but it was difficult to hear over Kol's random chatter. In the end she just had to elbow him to get him to shut up.

"Why are we here?" She asked. "Are the others coming?"

"It's just us four." Elijah replied. "Shut the door please, Kol."

"Before you say anything, I chose not to use the paint." Kol said. "Didn't want to ruin your wall."

"The paint?"

Kol blanched. "Nothing. Inside joke."

"Right." Elijah frowned. "You can tell me all about the joke later. Arrow wants to speak to you both about something. It's important that you both hear it."

Arrow looked completely calm and collected, but deep down he was racking his brain to find the right words to use. Both Kol and Rebekah were looking at him expectantly, and their eyes were almost invasive. Swallowing, he tried to calm himself by digging his nails into the palm of his hand.

"It's just over a week until we go into battle with Niklaus. That means one of us might not make it back." He began. He walked forward towards them. He couldn't hide from this any longer. "When we met, I told you that my name was Arrow. Obviously this is an alias. A nickname."

"Are you going to tell us your real name?" Kol asked. There was something in the air that told him it was a bad time to act a prick.

"Yes." Arrow said.

"Why didn't you tell us your real name before?" Rebekah tied her hair back to let the cold air on her neck.

The blond vampire smiled. "I needed to know that I could trust you. I trust Elijah, but I needed to find out more about you both before I let my guard down around you completely. I'm a soldier at heart. Always have been."

"I've known who he is since the moment that we met." Elijah murmured. "A thousand years ago."

"A thousand years ago?" Rebekah's eyes widened. "But that means you're one of the first. Did one of us turn you?"

"There's no easy way to say it." Elijah warned him carefully.

Arrow closed his eyes and nodded in defeat. It would have to happen now. They were so close...

He knelt down in front of the two siblings and stared them straight in the eyes. There was conviction there. Determination. Apprehension. Fear. Loyalty.

"My real name is Aaron Mikaelson. I am an Original vampire and... your older brother."


	33. That Boy Is A Monster

"I thought I heard yelling. Is everything alright?" Elijah jumped, stopped and looked over his shoulder at Elena as the doppelgänger scurried over the sand with a bag on her shoulder.

Breathing in the salty ocean scent calmed the Original, as it always had. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach as he subconsciously dug one of his bare feet into the soft golden sand. "There was a bit of a... misunderstanding." Catching the slight fraction of a frown that crossed Elena's face, he inclined his head towards the bag on Elena's shoulder inquisitively, eager to change the subject. "Any lead on your plan?"

"Oh, I talked to Arrow-" Elijah winced, thankfully on the side of his face that Elena couldn't see fully "-and got some good ideas. Duncan went out and fetched some wolfsbane and vervain in the forest and I've asked Damon to help me make the grenades tomorrow."

Elijah nodded slowly and turned to gaze upwards at the moon. "That's good."

The moon was growing fuller; the air was chilling and the sand was freezing. In the sky the clouds looked flat, like a single blanket torn in places and stitched together loosely. Cobalt silk threaded over his lean shoulders made him look like a spirit of the ocean; his legs covered in black jeans that made him melt into the night. His hair was slightly ruffled and his auburn eyes glinted silver in the moonlight. His pale skin contrasted against the darkness and made him look almost ethereal.

Elena looked equally as stunning, dressed in lavender with white trainers on for comfort. Her long brunette hair was tied back and out of her face, showing off her her naturally wide eyes, which were fixated on the drop dead gorgeous Original stood in front of her.

In Khimki forest, she had looked at a picture of him on her phone. Of her, Duncan, Philip and Elijah. She'd almost called him several times after that, attempting to convince herself that she'd just been concerned about Damon, but...

"Elijah."

"Hm?"

"If something's bothering you, you... You know you can talk to me about it, right?"

Surprised, Elijah turned to look at her, and Elena immediately averted her gaze and stared out across the sea. She swore she saw two shadows in the waters but her heart was beating too fast and she was conscious that Elijah could hear it.

Immediately she started to fumble over her words. "I meant that if you wanted, but I know being over a thousand years old you might know a lot more than me." She paled. "Oh god, did I just call you old?"

Despite his reservations, Elijah started to laugh. It was quiet and quick, like he didn't want to offend her generosity. "I appreciate your offer, Elena, and it's alright. But I don't need a shoulder to cry on. I'm much too old for that."

"I don't think you can be too old for anything." Elena said.

Elijah smirked. "Do you mean me, or humans?"

Elena faltered then. She settled down on the sand, feeling the water wash over her feet and sink into the hem of her trousers. She pulled them back to reveal unblemished skin on her moon-outlined legs. Elijah may have looked a little longer than necessary.

"Elijah, could you take me into Dublin tomorrow at maybe eleven o'clock?" Elena asked. "I need to get some things, and I can't drive a Cadillac Escalade."

"Of course," Elijah nodded. "Do you still have some of that money I gave you a while ago or do you need some more?"

"Err..." Elena bit her lip and leaned back slightly. "I... Don't know."

"Don't worry about it. I can give you some more."

"Why?" The words burst from Elena's mouth before she could stop herself. Her heart skipped a beat – did it sound as if she were being ungrateful? "I mean, why are you giving me money? I can't pay it back any time soon..."

"I never asked you to." Elijah smirked slightly at the surprise in her eyes as she turned to stare at him. A pleasurable twinge tugged at his heart. "Nor do I want you to. Think of this as, ah... Payment. For all the damage I've done to your home, your life and for dragging you away from your family."

"Hardly," Elena scoffed. "Well, except for Alaric. I keep wondering if he's okay. He hasn't tried to call me. Over the past few weeks I've had so many missed calls and texts from... Well, I haven't had many from Alaric."

Elijah noticed how she stumbled over her sentence and gazed out across the ocean. Not long ago he'd flown this. He still felt remnants of stiffness from the journey. "Do you want to see him again?" He asked. After a pause, he added, "Stefan. I know what he did to you and I still stand with what I said before: it's not right. When this is over, if you want to go back to Mystic Falls, but you don't want to see him, I can... _persuade _him to leave you alone."

The thought appealed to Elena, even over her jumbled emotions. She still felt violated and betrayed, unwilling to accept what had happened to her. Was this what a rape victim went through? Granted it was a slightly different kind of rape, but... "I haven't decided." She whispered, pulling her knees closer to her chest. Something draped itself over her shoulders; Elijah had taken off his overcoat and given it to her. "I mean apparently my house was burned down so it's not like I have anywhere to live any more."

"You can stay here, if you'd like." Elijah shrugged. "I have no qualms about it. Kol and Rebekah are going to stay. So am I."

"But what about Alaric?" Elena asked. "What about Damon? And my friends? They can't all stay here." _Why didn't I say no...? _

Elijah picked up a pebble and hurled it across the tide. It skipped a few times before sinking. "I can have guest rooms made, move some things around. I mean this isn't built to hold a school but I can change it. Damon and I get along better now; you and Rebekah do, too. And Kol has calmed considerably since you first met, even if he is still quite destructive. Or you could stay until your house is rebuilt. I'd pay for it, of course, since it was technically my fault it was burned down in the first place."

Elena thought about it for a moment, twisting her feet so they gouged holes in the sand. "I don't know. I'm still wondering whether or not I'm even going to make it through this war. I mean I'm still human; it's not like I have a witch potion to fall back on this time. Once I'm gone, that's it. I don't think any witches would use any life-protecting spells on me and..."

"That would be against the laws of nature," murmured Elijah gently. "But then again, the laws of nature aren't clearly defined either. There's no rule book that tell us what is and isn't allowed – the witches ancestors decide."

"The witches ancestors can be a bit nit-picky some times," Elena complained.

Elijah laughed. "They can be, I suppose. And speciesist, at least towards vampires."

"And banshee." Elena said. She reached back and threaded her hair over her shoulder. "Duncan didn't seem to really like them very much."

"It's an instinctive distrust." Elijah explained, scooping up a handful of sand and throwing it away from him into the spray. "There's not much logic behind it. Witches are there to maintain order. Banshee are said to disrupt it. Effectively that means they are natural rivals. Well, _super_natural rivals."

"What other types of supernatural species are there?" Asked Elena with interest. She leaned forward as Elijah began to speak.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Thanks for bringing me out here, Elijah." Elena smiled sweetly at him, tugging her shopping bags closer to the chair she sat on. After so long of being in Ireland, she had grown used to his altered accent and, according to him, she had developed one of her own. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem." Replied her vampire escort with a smile of his own. He reached towards his plate and cut into a piece of steak.

They had been walking through Dublin for about two hours now; it was one thirty-five in the afternoon, so rather than trek all the way back to the dream house to cook something up there, they'd settled down for a meal at one of the local restaurants. Elena was slightly surprised that, with his exquisite tastes, Elijah hadn't dragged her off into a five star gourmet place at the higher end of the meal spectrum. Instead they were sitting outside on spidery, white, plastic chairs, at a metal table that sounded more like it was about two centimetres thick.

The food wasn't decidedly healthy but neither of them cared. Vampires could speed up their metabolism and Elena was too hungry to give a care in the world. She could have eaten a horse and not thought anything of it. Except that maybe she'd need some painkillers and a damn good stomach pump by the time she was finished.

She tried to look civilised and not scoff her food, but she still ate speedily like her plate would explode and she'd lose her chance. Elijah didn't need to eat since he was technically undead, so he ate with a lazy grace, savouring the taste of the food.

Her inquiry into supernatural species had come up empty. She'd been hoping that he'd mention Angels, and be able to tell her some more things about her heritage. She was sure that after a thousand years he'd have learned _something._ He hadn't even acknowledged that they'd existed.

"Why did you go and buy blocks of wood?" She found herself asking, eyeing his plastic bag. He'd bought about six fairly large blocks of wood, but she had no idea why. Was he planning on making something? Fixing a wall? She'd not been in the den since she'd heard arguments and banging. Maybe he was planning on some repair work. But then the walls weren't made of wood – he would have used something else, surely?

"A little project I'm working on." Elijah said. "For a friend."

"Building blocks?" Elena smiled innocently.

Elijah called her bluff. "Perhaps."

They continued to eat and talked about random things; the news, gossip, jobs, and again they discussed pets, but this time Elena expressed her curiosity about getting a dog. "I saw Hunter racing across the beach and I just adore him. He's so playful and energetic – and beautiful!"

Hunter was a Saluki breed of dog, the fastest on the lifeguard dog team. A poor swimmer and not very strong, but he made up for his weaknesses in pure, unrivalled speed. Hunter looked like a doberman with long spidery legs, a narrow snout and drooping, furry ears. His body was black with dogs of flame on the inside of his legs, his tail, his face, chest and forehead. His chest was white as was his chin, and he was truly a stunning dog. He easily defeated Riki in terms of looks, but Riki had the better hand in experience and strength.

"From what December tells me, they're planning on finding him a companion." Elijah commented idly, shifting on his chair with an easy grace. "I think, once he's had a litter, you could ask December if you could keep one of the pups."

"You think?" Elena's eyes glittered. Then she frowned slightly. "Oh, but I've never had a pet before... I wouldn't know where to start! You have to feed them, wash them, groom them, walk them..."

Her phone rang. Elena pulled it out of her pocket and peered at it. It was a pale blue one she'd bought to use in place of her old one – the one she couldn't use out of fear of the others tracking her signal. It was Damon.

Excusing herself, she headed away from the table and into the bathroom of the café. She clicked the button to take the call and raised the phone to her ear. "Damon?"

"_Elena, everything's set up and ready for us to begin making the Wolfs-vane."_ Wolfs-vane? Elena nodded, smiling slightly.

"Great. Do you-" She almost asked if he needed her to return then, but this was _her_ idea, _her _project, not his. Taking a breath, she said instead, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, please organise the equipment on separate tables and make sure that nobody messes with anything. We can begin as soon as I'm back."

"_Yes ma'am."_

She ended the call and smiled a smile worthy of a scheming Katherine, and left the bathroom with her head held high. Elijah blinked at her curiously as she rejoined him at the table. "Everything's ready," she said happily. "You know, this taking-control thing... It actually feels _good_."

Elijah smiled. "Brilliant. Shall we be going?"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elena danced triumphantly to _Monster_ by Lady Gaga, the only Lady Gaga song that she actually liked. She jumped up and down on the floor of her shared room with Caroline, who was also laughing as she partied with her room mate. They circled the room, smacked each other with pillows, flailing their arms around.

The doppelgänger had successfully created five Wolfs-vain grenades _and_ been in charge of the team, consisting of Damon, Duncan and Arrow, who had been unusually quiet even when spoken to. Tyler had insisted on staying as far away from the room as possible, as he'd almost collapsed when he'd walked past the room, the door shut. Elena knew that it was a very positive sign. Well, not Tyler collapsing, but the effect of it. Now the grenades were in storage and ready for use for later, and Damon had decided to begin experimenting with crossbows. Elena had decided to leave him to it.

Her dancing was cut short when she caught a flicker of movement by the door and turned to see a fairly amused Elijah leaning in the doorway, watching her curiously. Gasping, Elena lunged for the music player and flicked off the stereo.

"Elijah!" Exclaimed the brunette, sweeping a wild strand of hair from her face. "I didn't realise you were watching."

Taking her lack of a 'get-out' and scream as permission to enter, Elijah took a cautious step into the room. Auburn eyes skimmed over her tank top and skinny jeans. "Please, don't stop on my account," he teased gently. "I just came to remind you about our training session."

Perhaps the sight of Elijah dressed in white robes should have been warning enough. Glancing at the time on her phone, Elena's face drained of colour. "Oh god, I'm ten minutes late. I didn't realise! Is Philip already down there?"

"He won't be joining us," said Elijah curtly. "Caroline, Kol, Rebekah, Tyler and Philip have gone to explore Dublin a little bit more – with Philip as their guide, of course. They're probably going to party for a bit. I doubt they'll be back until early in the morning..."

"Just let me get my robes and I'll be down." Elena crossed the room and scrambled through her cabinet for her uniform. She had a decent amount of clothing there, not too many shoes. As per usual, she brushed her hair back and pinned it there with a hair tie. "What are we doing today?"

"Well first, we're recapping on what you learned last lesson, then you'll, in a sense, be relearning everything from the start. Call it a demonstration of everything you've learned. I take it you've been practising?"

"Yes. And weapons?"

"Your wooden blade. If all goes well I'll introduce you to another weapon this time: a dagger. I'll be in my room while you dress – call for me when you're ready."

Elena shut the door and undressed as quickly as possible, diving into her training clothes before making sure she looked appropriate and professional. Elijah had told her that discipline of the mind also included discipline of the body. The first time she'd been late, he'd asked her quite politely to straighten up her clothing before they began. Looking back on it now, she'd been in a horrendous state of disarray.

They headed down to the training room in mutual silence; Elijah walking slightly in front. Everything went off without a hitch: she executed each move to near perfection, balancing beautifully on the line between strength and speed.

"You've flourished," Elijah smiled approvingly, earning a blush from the hot, flustered young woman. "Now we can begin the next stage. Rather than your wooden dagger, you'll be using a _real_ one. I want you to use it in the moves I showed you, but you'll be wanting to pay close attention to the weight and the difference in how you move."

The dagger was a beautifully crafted blade; a flawless, silver, one-edged blade. It was cold to the touch, and as she worked in getting used to the new weight and the motion, she found the palm of her hand sweating around the hilt. It was slippery. She wiped her hand against the side of her robes, then the hilt, and then tightened her grip.

"Now you'll attack me." Elijah said. But to Elena's horror, in one swift motion, he removed his shirt. "On the off-chance you do catch me, I don't want to bloody my robes." Scars stood before her like a map on his body; a history of war, of violence, of pain. Mesmerised by it, she missed his next few words, remaining captivated by how his sleek muscles moved as he demonstrated technique after-

_SMACK!_

Elena gasped. Elijah was standing before her, looking unimpressed. Before she could comprehend what had happened, he was striding towards the door, and for one frantic moment she thought he'd caught her ignoring him and taken offence. She rushed out of the door after him, calling out to him, intent on apologising.

"What...?" Damon was pressed up against the closed window in his crow form, twitching from the impact. That smacking sound had been him flying face-first into the window. Elijah snorted, unable to conceal his amusement, reached out of the window and pulled him inside.

Damon transformed back immediately, his head lolling, punch-drunk. He snickered lazily. "Didn't see the window," he whined, rubbing his throbbing nose. "Thought I left it open..."

"You _did_ leave it open," Aaron said, holding up a giggling warlock by the scruff of his shirt. Duncan suddenly looked too innocent, and as Damon staggered to his feet and regained his senses, Elena swore she caught a glimmer of annoyed amusement in his eyes.

"You'll pay for that, you little midget."


	34. Grand Mal

How long had he been staring at that sword now? Sitting in his room by the window, he worked, but his head twisted around to stare at the other corner of the room. Beneath the potted plants, slightly dug into the floor, was a sleek, silver sword, glinting in the dim morning sunlight. Had Elijah been gazing outside the window he would have seen airbrushed sky blue, melting into a fresh snow white, with darker wisps scattered amongst the beauty of the land. The sun was slightly hidden behind the tail of a cloud. But his eyes were locked on the blade.

It sat there and taunted him. He couldn't sleep without having his back to it. Ever since he'd put it there he'd refused to touch it. Why should he? He didn't need to bother with it for the next week or so. There was no need to touch it again. No need to hold the weapon that killed him.

The knock at the door was non-existent. The soft call in fell on deaf ears, and the slow, nervous sunbeam that peeked through the door, moulding around a familiar shape, was equally ignored. He simply continued to stare at the sword, tracing his fingers along his burning scar, absent of emotion, thought and awareness. He was a hollow shell, not doing anything, neither seeing nor breathing, just existing.

Until a shaking hand pressed against his scarred shoulder and roused him so violently that he stood and knocked the stool from beneath him.

Startled and confused, he looked around his work area before finally turning and seeing Elena. The young woman had recoiled in surprise at his reaction. He watched her through wide eyes before he realised where they were, and he felt a sudden surge of anger, which he promptly buried deep.

"Yes?" Elijahe was aware that his voice was strained and he tried to control it.

Elena's eyes drifted down to where his fingers hovered over the scar on his chest, and the cogs were turning. There was a click that showed through a flash of concern. Elijah cursed himself. Elena had made the connection.

"Sorry. I know you don't like people in your room. Is... is there something wrong?"

Elijah turned his back on the sword, on Elena, and dragged his stool back under him. He wore his usual nightwear trousers – black silk with a grey tie – but had no shirt on. The cold kept him awake, kept him aware. He returned his calloused hands to his project and sensed her look over his bare shoulder.

"Nothing for you to be concerned about," he said simply.

Elena looked ready to say something else. A particularly sharp motion nearly snapped the wood in half. He hissed quietly to himself and tossed it into the nearby bin with appalling accuracy. He didn't really care. He plucked up another and began carving anew.

Elena picked up the cracked wood and placed it carefully in the bin. She stood nervously there with her hands clasped in front of her stomach, biting her lip, looking out of place. _She is,_ thought Elijah bitterly, though he kept that thought to himself. Thankfully his glare was angled at the wood rather than at his uninvited guest.

"No offence but it doesn't sound like nothing's wrong," said Elena.

"I never said that nothing was wrong," replied Elijah tersely. "I said it's nothing for you to be concerned about. Now is there a reason as to why you're here? I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Well, I thought..." Elena took a breath and steeled her nerves. "I was wondering why you've been so subdued, lately … you've hardly spoken to anyone and you've been in your room all morning. I mean-" she stopped, because Elijah was suddenly right in front of her.

"I give you your privacy, so please let me have mine," he said politely. His tone had several underlying warnings concealed beneath it. It was the very same tone he used when he captured someone and told the unlucky individual which bone in their body he was about to break first if he didn't get the information he wanted.

Elena felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise, but she wasn't about to back down. "I've told you my secrets. Why won't you talk to me? Do you not trust me?"

"There is nothing to talk about, Elena," said Elijah, though his eyes flickered briefly to the sword in the corner. "Stay out of my business."

"That sword has something to do with it," challenged Elena. "What happened?"

"Elena-"

"What happened?" repeated the doppelgänger slowly, commandingly. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken that tone with him – he could just as easily rip her throat out – but she was sick of confiding in him and not being trusted. Hadn't she already earned his respect?

Elijah glared at her, his brow slightly furrowed. Nearly all of the times she had seen him, he had never been truly emotional. There had been a sort of calm anger, calm joy … he was always so reserved, and it rattled her that he never seemed to lose control, even for an instant. Elena was sure he was going to seize her by the back of her neck and throw her out into the landing, but after a moment he just sighed and brushed past her.

_Great, he's running away, _she thought for a heartbeat, but then the logical side to her brain laughed at her. _Elijah doesn't run from anything._

And he hadn't. He shut the door and sat back down on his chair, working on sculpting something out of the wood he had there. Judging by the fact that he'd just allowed her to remain in the room, she took it as a sign that she wasn't being kicked out, but she was balancing on the line between safety and bloodshed. Rather than speak, though, she just settled down beside him and watched him work. It paid off. After a few long minutes, he finally spoke.

"That sword used to belong to me, back when I was human." Elijah muttered, distracting his hands with the wood. "My father used it to … _turn_ me. That's where the scar came from, and that's why I don't want it here."

Elena felt a brief sense of joy and triumph, but pressed it to the back of her mind. Celebrations later. Smiling was not appropriate at the present moment in time.

"Why don't you just move it out of your room?" asked Elena. "That way, you don't have to look at it."

"Vampires have a certain connection to the weapon that caused their death," stated Elijah automatically, as if he were reeling off a fact. "I want to get rid of it but I don't want to place it anywhere it could get taken or … _misplaced. _As helpful as your merry little band of friends has been, they have had a knack for betraying others at the last moment. I've already put the Esther's necklace and the Moonstone into hiding … I'm not putting them all together like a puzzle. Nobody except for Duncan and Philip ever come in here."

"I'm in here," Elena pointed out.

"You shouldn't be," Elijah observed.

"_You're_ letting me stay."

Elijah didn't reply to that, just slammed the wood down onto the table and began chipping away at it methodically. Elena didn't speak for a while, she just watched as he carved something out of the little wooden block. He did it smoothly with confidence and she was certain he was using some traces of his vampire abilities to speed up the process. Within five minutes he was holding a forming creature as tall as her hand was from wrist to fingertips. He started carving what looked like waves underneath it.

"What are you making?" asked Elena out of curiosity.

"The walls have ears," replied Elijah simply, though he slid a piece of paper over to her.

Collaborated onto the paper were images of dolphins and waterfalls, and as she looked from the wood to the reference sheet, she understood what he was making. He was carving a dolphin leaping out of the water.

"Philip's birthday is coming up," he said shortly.

"When?"

"Two days from now … I always make something for him. There are more in that cabinet. You're free to look if you wish."

Elena strode towards a rather large cabinet made of oak that looked hand-made and unique. With Elijah chipping away at the wood nearby, she wouldn't be surprised if he told her that he'd made the cabinet himself. It certainly made sense.

Opening it, she inhaled the scent of time. It was an old scent, appealing and calming, and she pulled on a small light switch to see shelves stacked with little figures.

Horses and lions, tigers and wolves, all manners of various creatures. The top shelves seemed to hold older figures while the bottom ones were devoid and dark, catching dust. Elena's eyes were drawn to a small brown-haired angel with a flowing white nightgown and a halo that was held above her head by a very thin piece of wood like a toothpick. One of the wings had a crack down it that had been glued on and painted over and it detracted from the beauty of the wood carving quite a bit. However she still felt a strange attachment to it growing and, without asking permission, she carefully removed it from its position and held it up to the light. Some of the paint was flaking away as well, but it was still in beautiful condition.

"This one looks very old," said Elena.

"I did that one … maybe seven hundred years ago. I can't honestly say I remember making it. It had been one of several … the others got left behind."

It had long, lustrous brown hair and a soft smile, a curvaceous figure and pale skin. Its wings were extended and curving around to the front, where the wing tips helped her to stand. Her hands were palm facing the viewer, sweeping by her sides gracefully, and her head was tilted slightly back, exposing her neck.

The angel had striking similarities to Elena.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Nixkamich knocked on the door of the mansion and stood calmly as it was opened less than a heartbeat later. A man with dark eyes glared up at him, his brown hair ruffled from the amount of times a hand had been run through it. Careful not to make any threatening moves, Nixkamich offered a cool smile to the hybrid.

"Excuse me, are you Niklaus?" he asked, reading the name off of a torn off piece of paper.

"Yes," growled Klaus. "What do you want?"

"I was given a message to give to you," he said. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an envelope and barely had the chance to extend his hand before it was snatched out of his grip.

"Where was this given to you – who by?" asked Klaus.

"By a middle aged woman going by the name of Esther, given to me in Bulgaria … said it was important and I should get it to you immediately." Nixkamich immediately sensed that, from Klaus's darkening expression, the situation was becoming dangerous.

"Thanks," said Klaus bitterly, and he slammed the door shut in his face. Nixkamich was startled for a moment. Turning, he kept his senses strained for any sign of movement behind him.

Klaus skimmed through the note with an expression of repressed fury. The note was tinged with the scent of blood – Elena's blood, and the script was curled, not his mother's writing, but her scent was there.

_I have your doppelgänger and I have your siblings. You will come to the Galloway Forest Part in Scotland. Come alone or I will kill them all._

"Are you alright?" asked a hybrid quietly.

Klaus glared at the letter challengingly. "Yes. That man that was just here … he was a werewolf. I don't like being given orders … Hunt him down and turn him."

"Yes, sir," murmured the hybrid, and in a rush of wind, he was gone.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Duncan felt the familiar haze of deja vu fall over him and the controller tumbled out of his hands, jolting the batteries and switching it off. The game paused and Philip glanced up from where he was in the kitchen, making a sandwich with melted chocolate to sate his boredom. When he failed to pick it up again, Philip put down the bowl and knife, licked the chocolate from his fingers and padded into the den.

"Dunc?" hummed Philip. "You okay?"

"Hmm," Duncan nodded and picked up the controller, but rather than continue playing the game, he fiddled with the joystick idly. "Just … thinking."

"You press the button to turn it on," joked Philip, not entirely convinced. "What're you thinking about? Must be something to tear you away from your gaming."

Duncan was an avid gaming fan. Seventy years old he may be, he still had the tendencies of a seven year old. When he didn't reply to that, Philip approached him and peered into his eyes cautiously. Almond brown met emerald green and the two Irishmen regarded each other for a few moments.

"Dunc, you having an aura?" he asked quietly.

Aaron looked up sharply from his book. Damon glanced over his shoulder from where he sat, talking to Tyler and Caroline. Kol was nowhere to be seen – out on the beach, probably.

Duncan slowly nodded.

Philip looked over to the other vampires. "Get out of the house," he ordered. "Someone fetch Elijah."

"Why?"

Aaron shot up the stairs.

"Just do it!" Philip said. "And stay away from the kitchen – go down to the beach and stay there."

As they filed out, Aaron reappeared with Elijah at his side and Elena trotting down the stairs slowly. Remembering what had happened the last time Duncan had fallen into a seizure, she eyed the cupboards cautiously.

"Come and lie down," said Elijah gently, pulling him off of the beanbag plush and letting him down gently onto the sofa. "How do you feel?"

Duncan fiddled with the button on Elijah's trousers, hooking and unhooking it distractedly. His eyes glazed over. Elijah knelt beside him. There was something ominous about this; it wasn't the same as the complex partial that he'd had the last time Elena had seen him have a seizure. Elijah sensed something coming – something big.

"Get out of the house," he ordered quietly. "Philip, you too. _Out._"

"What?" Philip looked taken aback. "Why?"

Elijah shot him a no-nonsense look. Something passed between Aaron and Elijah then because he nodded and gently grabbed Elena's hand in his own and whisked her outside to safety.

"Philip, you need to get out of here," said Elijah.

"It … it's not …" Philip stammered. "It's not one of _those,_ is it?"

Everyone else was gathered on the beach, equally confused, as Sumatra trotted over to them, transformed and Kol sneered at them all.

"Is it party time?"

Damon turned to the Original, but Caroline, annoyed at having been disturbed, sighed, "We all just got kicked out of the house for some reason."

"Elijah?" asked Kol.

"Philip," muttered Tyler.

Kol laughed. "You got kicked out by a kid? Damn, you guys are-"

He never got time to finish. There was a thunderous explosion of energy from the house; windows burst outwards, lights flickered on and off, and the cliffside groaned in pain as the ground began to fissure. The tides receded back out to sea even further and there were screams of terror from further up the beach. Rocks broke free from the cliffs and fell into the water with almighty crashes, and it went on for a few long minutes.

Philip ran out of the house, covered in cuts and paper-cut-like nicks, and gasped, _"Grand Mal."_


	35. Sanctuary

Elena planted one foot over the threshold and bit her lip to quell the nervous urge to fidget. Duncan lay there, blankets up to his waist, dressed in a thin black shirt and nightwear that Damon would approve of. From the twitching of his lids, the way his eyes darted underneath the lids, his mind was not as dormant as his body.

Elijah had not left his side for hours. He sat there like any loyal, loving parent, watching over the young warlock with worry etched into his face. He didn't even turn when Elena sat down beside him and tentatively stretched her arm out to clasp his hand with her own in comfort.

Reports about the earthquake were all over the news, demands of _were people hurt_ and _what scale was it_? Elena had never seen anything like it, and if she was honest she never wanted to again.

Rapid footsteps thundered through the hall and in a flash of gold, there the youngest Mikaelson stood.

"Elijah, we've just got..." Rebekah started, and then trailed away when she saw her brother. His ear twitched with clouded recognition; his eyes softened but remained transfixed on the figure on the bed. Lowering her voice, Rebekah continued, "we've just got word from Charlotte." Charlotte was Misty Sight, blind alpha of the wolf pack. "They've lost contact with Nixkamich." Nixkamich was Sharpclaw, her second in command.

At this Elijah's eyes drifted shut, and he hissed something low under his breath that Elena didn't recognise, even had she been blessed with the hearing of vampires. His jaw clenched and he shook his head, eyes opening. "Niklaus has turned him into a hybrid," he breathed quietly, cold and calculating. Elena shivered at the undertone of pure menace concealed, and it didn't go unnoticed by Rebekah either.

"Should we send someone out?"

"And raise suspicion? No... To do so could be sending someone into suicide..." The Original mumbled under his breath. Elena was sure if his hands weren't occupied, he would have ripped up the floorboards in rage. Russet eyes were practically smouldering.

"I'll think of something," he told her, waving dismissively. "Give me time. Can you start repairs on the house?"

"Of course. I'll get Kol to help." Rebekah turned and ran down the stairs.

Elijah shifted slightly and continued his vigil, though he seemed to be deep in thought. His hand hadn't moved from on his knee, and he didn't seem to realise that Elena's was resting on top. If he had then he made no motion to shake her off, so the doppelgänger took this as a sign he was alright with it.

With Nixkamich possibly in danger of being turned, there was a massive problem. He knew about the plan, or the outline anyway. He knew they were going to wage war on Klaus soon, and with him sired to Klaus … Elena understood why Elijah was suddenly so vexed. All his hard work could come down to nothing. What then? It wasn't like he could just start over. There would be another one thousand years before the next eclipse, and Klaus could have the time to kill him during that time. Elijah was an Original, but not invincible.

Elena had seen many things from him that she would never had thought him capable of. Him, one of the first vampires, who had caused so much hell in her life that it was almost comical. She had pinned him as a creature even more cruel and ruthless than Damon's darker side, who had no qualms about killing. Really it seemed the opposite; he didn't like killing, so he only did it when it was absolutely necessary.

_And he's kept to his word no matter what,_ she smiled slightly, gazing towards Duncan, who relaxed and calmed as Elijah took his hand and stroked it with his thumb subconsciously. _He even has two kids to take care of, that need him as much as we all do. Without him around, none of this would have been possible._

"You're calling for me?"

Jumping, Elena glanced towards the door to see that Aaron stood there, his blond hair tied back loosely. Elijah's mouth was slightly parted in a continuous hiss that Elena hadn't heard, and he nodded solemnly as the other vampire approached.

"Do you want me to check on Duncan?" he asked softly.

Elijah stood up and walked past Elena towards him, approaching a drawer at the corner of the room. Elena's eyes fell upon the sword that stood there, the tip of its blade embedded into the floor like a strange parody of Excalibur in the stone. "I want you to run as fast as you can back to Mystic Falls," he said. "You're the only one of us here that Niklaus will not recognise, and your stealth will be invaluable."

"You want me to bring Nix here?" the other asked. "Is that really wise, though? If he has been turned, he would be a liability."

"I will watch him," Elijah replied simply, writing something down and underlining it. "And Tyler will teach him how to resist the bond, I'm sure."

Aaron eyed his younger brother for a few long moments and then nodded. "I understand. I'll go now."

Elena watched him go, and saw how his right fist clenched as he turned. Elijah turned away from the table and slid the pen back into one of the draws. What Elena did not see was that there was no paper.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Northstar banked right across the tide and flapped his great russet wings against the breeze. It was getting colder now with the slow approach of the final battle. Every day felt like an ice age and the tension was crawling up his sides and into his mind. There was a stunning view of the sunrise; an airbrushed array of a thousand colours all blurring into one, all shining on the giant canvas that made the sky. In the nearby forest, shining diamond droplets of dew slipped down the leaves of the ageing trees and created a scent of damp which was actually a pleasant aroma when mixed with the oceanic spray and the subtle hint of flowers.

Slithering underneath the waters, Northstar could see Thalassa, the Grey Nurse (Sand Tiger) Shark, out for an early morning swim. Despite not being able to communicate with his fellow apex predator, the Wedge-tailed Eagle could see that she was enjoying herself immensely. Ever since she'd found out how to transform from Kol, she had been doing it almost on a regular basis.

Elena was striding across the beach, talking animatedly to Damon, gesturing this way and that as she spoke. Northstar could understand human speech but not speak it; his limit was to equines, bears and wild cats, like his siblings, wolves like Charlotte and Jasmine, and fellow birds like Damon, but their language was very similar.

"_We need to create enough to use at the very start of the battle, to use in one controlled strike to weaken the Hybrids. After that maybe if we make one for every three. There's about twenty in Khimki's wolf pack, and there's more or less ten of us, so that should equal..."_

Northstar twisted to avoid a strong wind current from sweeping him far into the sky.

"_...so I need you to go and find as much wolfsbane as you can. I'd ask if you could head back to Mystic Falls but if Klaus is still there..."_

"_I can get in and out without him noticing. Stefan will be a problem."_

Northstar, and his human form, couldn't deny that Elena had grown so much recently. She'd fought, she'd learned and grown... Northstar flapped his wings and looked across the horizon. Perhaps too soon, but it was better she learned it now rather than later. After all the war wasn't going to wait on anyone.

"_Does Stefan have an animal form? Can you find him where ever he might be?"_

"_I've tracked him long enough. And... yes, he has an avatar form. But he's not gone into it for countless years; he didn't have the strength before and he hasn't had reason to now." _Something was left out there. Something Damon didn't want to say. Something Elena didn't want to hear.

"_I don't want him in on this."_

Northstar flickered across their vision and, angling to come in for a landing, he swooped. Damon reached out with his arm and caught him, holding him on one arm, but they continued their discussion as if he wasn't even there.

"I'm serious, Damon. I don't want him anywhere near..." Elena faltered. Both vampires sensed the sudden jump in her heartbeat. "Just do what you have to do. And check on everyone while you're there, okay? I want to know how they're doing."

"Okay." Damon replied softly. "Do you want anything else while I'm there?"

"I have nothing left to want," said Elena coldly, shaking her head. "Just the stocks."

Damon nodded. Northstar leapt a few feet into the air as the vampire abruptly transformed. A sleek ebony crow stood on the sand and stretched his wings in preparation for the day's journey ahead of him. Northstar landed on Elena's shoulder but kept his feet loose so he didn't injure her with his razor sharp talons.

"Fly swift, Satin," chirped Northstar. "You may meet a friend in your journey."

"I will try to be back before nightfall." Satin squawked, bowing and . "Take care of her while I'm gone. This whole thing is really getting to her."

Whatever demon possessed Northstar then, he didn't know, but before he could stop himself, he spread his wings and screeched lowly, "teach him a lesson from me. Make sure he remembers it."

"Oh don't you worry," snarled Satin, launching himself into the sky. "By the time I'm through with him, he'll be wishing he never messed with her."

Until the crow became but a distant black speck on the horizon, the two kept their gaze on him. Then Elena turned, taking Northstar with her, and she began to speak.

"He's going to pick up some more stocks of Wolfsbane from the Salvatore manor," she explained, as if he hadn't heard what her plan was. "We've run out."

_You do know there's some in the forest behind the nest, right?_ He almost asked, clicking his beak, but knowing that she wouldn't understand. His eyes narrowed. _Unless you're sending him there on purpose. But what would that purpose be?_

Thalassa thrashed briefly in the water, wrestling with some invisible foe, before her shadow slithered away in silent laughter. She swam far out to hunt from a school of fish. Sumatra, the giant chestnut stallion, was walking through the edge of the water to wet his hooves with a Lijagulep draped over his back, bored out of her mind. It was one of those rare moments of peace between siblings, Northstar just knew, smiling to himself, that there was going to be a fight later on in the day.

Duncan was back on his feet, albeit taking it easy. Philip was with his brother and they were playing with Riki who had run down for a visit. Wes was out on the Batmobile, patrolling the rips.

"You know, after all this is over, I might become a lifeguard," Elena said. "Bonnie and Jeremy used to be lifeguards at the local pool, though I think if I did it at a beach, it would be more interesting." Northstar felt in the back of his mind that his ears would have twitched at that, had he been human.

So Elena was interested in becoming a lifeguard? Northstar gave as best a nod as he could, showing his approval of her idea. She was brave enough to tackle the waters, but her strength could use work. Maybe if she joined up with a gym or went swimming with Thalassa and Atlantis, she would be able to build up her strength.

Something caught his attention; something interesting that switched his eagle instincts on. His head lifted and eyes sharpened, locking onto the juicy morsel in front of his face. Elena had produced a hidden mouse from her pocket and, despite her own slight disgust at handling the tiny creature, she swung it in front of his face like a pocket watch. It hypnotised him and he leaned forward to take it. Elena moved it away as he moved toward it.

"Nah-ah." The doppelgänger smirked deviously. "Remember that time we fed Atlantis? You have to work for it."

_Why you-_

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Órfhlaith sensed them before they arrived and narrowed her eyes as several gleaming, whiter-than-snow creatures phased into existence before her. They were immensely beautiful—well, except one of them who was ugly as sin—and hovered over the ground as if walking on air. The banshee erupted from the surface of the spirit lake, showering them with water that sparkled as it drifted away.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" the elderly woman sneered. "Come to gloat, or are you here to tell me I was wrong for telling that young one about herself?"

One of the angels stepped forward with a swagger. "No, we are here to thank you," he replied. "You didn't reveal too much to her."

"I was tempted," Órfhlaith muttered, eyeing the angel up and down. Dark wings flapped as she lifted herself up higher and flew around them in a circle before setting down again. "I know you didn't just come here to thank me, Brodie. What else do you want?"

Brodie smiled innocently and shook his head. He waved the other angels off, and they disappeared into mist forged from silence. "Honestly, there's nothing else we want."

Órfhlaith snorted. _Oh sure, that's why the Big Man in the Sky sent several angels instead of one. _"You clipped my wings," she growled. "You don't trust me. You think I'm like the rest of them. Well I'm not. I never will be."

"You forced our hand," Brodie shrugged. "Your own actions caused you to Fall. You were warned and you ignored the rules."

"Blow your godforsaken rules!" Órfhlaith snapped, her hackles rising. "I already explained why I did what I did. I'm not following a stupid story in a book that tells me what I can and can't do, especially since it's sexist and-"

"This isn't about the bible."

Órfhlaith threw her hands up in exasperation. "You see? Just because I'm a woman! I serve _no_ man. I belong only to myself. And you didn't deny it! You knew exactly what I'm talking about."

"Which is why you got your wings clipped," Brodie observed. "Honestly, if you burst into the Celestial Court swearing at the top of your lungs, and then start trying to punch up Jesus, you should be expecting some sort of retribution."

"I didn't punch up Jesus," Órfhlaith protested, folding her arms and pouting defiantly. "I threw a rubber at him and called out his mother when he tried to shut me up. There's a difference."

Brodie sighed. "If it means anything to you, I agree with what you were trying to argue. It wasn't fair of them." His lips quivered and he couldn't hold back a grin. "And Jesus's face was classic. Anyway," he forced himself back to a neutral countenance, "enough talk. I came here to thank you, and I think I hear someone calling me."

Órfhlaith grunted and folded her wings. "Yeah yeah, well I'll see you later then. Say hello to Doyle for me."

"Actually it sounds like Starsky," Brodie murmured to himself thoughtfully. "Hutch and Doyle must be trying to prank Gabriel again. I'll relay your message anyway. Who knows, maybe next time I'll bring the gang." His eyes sparkled with youthful excitement.

Órfhlaith rolled her eyes, nodded and raised her arm to bro-fist the angel. Brodie grinned and flew off back to heaven. As she turned to leave, she noticed something shimmering on the ground, and picked it up, straightening it out.

_Oh yeah, the big boss upstairs says he'll repair your wings if you apologise to Jesus._

Overcome with anger, Órfhlaith threw back her head and screeched every single curse and expletive known to man.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Aaron simply observed what happened around him, an invisible spectre in the shadows. Several hybrids circled the army veteran, similar expressions of apathy and determination upon their faces. Nixkamich released a bestial growl as he thrashed in their grip, blood flowing from several wounds about his person. Earth churned up about his feet sprayed against ankles and shoes, but the hybrids were stronger than he was. There was no escape.

At that point in time there was no way he could act, or at least not from where he was standing. Klaus padded closer to the werewolf, hands behind his back and a look of smug, sadistic pleasure taunting his prisoner. Aaron could easily knock them all out and snatch him from under their noses, but he needed an opening.

"I must say I thank you for delivering that message," purred the pack leader, a scrunched up note in his hand. As if to make a point he unclasped his hands and studied it again. "Now you're going to tell me _exactly_ where Esther gave you this note, and what else she said. Do you understand?"

Nixkamich glared at the hybrid, jerking, his eyes flashing a defiant gold. "And you couldn't have just asked while I was at your front door, rather than slam it in my face, _why?_"

"Wow, you do have an attitude!" Klaus smirked and looked to one of the hybrids restraining him. Something was conveyed within the look; Nixkamich snarled as his head was yanked back by the roots of his hair. "Now start talking."

Nixkamich struggled to breathe at the angle his throat was bent at. "Let me go," he rasped. "Let me go!"

"Not unless you tell me what I want to know."

Nix' wheezed and tried to force his head back._"You're not going to get any information if you break my god damn neck!_"

Klaus narrowed his eyes, and then nodded. Nix was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground, red trickling out of the corner of his mouth, gasping for breath. The hybrid pulled him to his feet.

Aaron could sense the danger he was in. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small black Nokia and opened up the contacts screen. _If Klaus compels him for information, that's it. But I'm outnumbered. Wait, who's..._

A newcomer was coming through the trees, his hair russet and eyes half-mast. Walking with purpose, he was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt and dark jeans and a denim jacket on top of that, and he had short russet hair. His hands were in his pockets, and he approached Klaus with such familiarity that Aaron paused in his text. _He looks familiar._

"Klaus, I got your call. What seems to be the problem?"

Klaus ignored him, though. "I let you go, so cough up. Where'd you get the note?"

Nixkamich studied the russet-haired man sceptically and then turned back to Klaus. Aaron flicked back and searched through his photo database, glancing up at the scene and listening in. There were some people that he had been warned to watch out for, people who were potential allies, or enemies. _Jeremy Gilbert (human), ally; Bonnie Bennett (witch), ally; Meredith Fell (human), ally; Alaric Saltzman (human vampire hunter), ally … Stefan Salvatore (vampire), unknown._

The profile matched. Stefan Salvatore was the name of the man, and from the way Klaus seemed relatively impassive of his attendance to the outdoor party, they did have a problem. In fact Klaus laughed and shared an amused glance at the vampire, patting him on the back as if they were close. Navigating through his phone, he sifted through his contacts until he reached M, and then clicked the first name he saw: _Mythril_.

_'Stefan S. in league with Klaus' _was the simple text. He sent this to _Yang_ as well.

Aaron crept around the trees and ducked down behind a clump of ferns. _Mythril_'s text came to his attention with a slight, quiet shiver of his phone, and he flicked open the top and clicked a button.

_'A.' _Acknowledged.

_Yang's_ reply came but seconds later. _'Where?'_

Tagging them both into the same text, he typed quickly: _'Forest near mansion. K is here too, with H. Nix has been compromised.'_

He continued to watch attentively, his ears perked, half-turned towards them from his place behind a tree. Klaus was asking questions, Nixkamich was lying through his teeth with a calmness that he had to admire. There wasn't even a flicker in his heartbeat. It was impressive.

A crow landed in one of the lower branches of a tree and for a moment Stefan seemed to turn, as if searching for the source of the noise. But not even in the dead of night with vampire-sharp eyes could be detect the large crow amongst the branches. When he turned away, Satin's eyes blinked open and he proceeded to watch the interrogation, though his eyes scanned through the foliage. In a very human-like gesture, the crow nodded towards him.

Aaron returned the motion and reached into his jacket, pulling out a hand-sized circular object with a pin in the top. Teeth sharpened into fangs and he hooked one canine through the pin, holding it there for the moment. He peered around the tree and gave another nod.

Satin lifted off and flew off into the darkness, his wings flapping in the otherwise silent forest. Aaron bunched his muscles as Klaus circled around Nixkamich, tearing into his wrist and ramming it at the werewolf's mouth like a gag. Nixkamich growled and blocked the back of his throat with his tongue, letting the blood fill it up but not swallowing. He knew what that meant.

Klaus ripped his wrist away and let him stumble. Nix convulsed, pushing all of the blood to the front of his mouth before he spat it at Stefan, hitting him square on the chest. "Fuck you!"

Klaus let out a dreadful snarl and lunged for the werewolf, snapping his arm like a match stick. Satin swooped down at that moment in time and initiated a … rather impressive long range attack, cawing with laughter. A volley of emotions swirled in his chest and made him feel rather disgusted and giddy, and he smiled as he tore the pin from the vervain grenade and launched it into the clearing. There was an almighty _bang_; Aaron ploughed through the clearing like a speeding bullet, bowling over everyone to make sure they stayed down, wrapping his arms around Nixkamich's torso and carrying him away from the hybrids.

"Hold on tight Nix," he said as they ran.

"...Nix?"


	36. Dark Sides of Life

A day had passed since Nixkamich's rescue and Stefan's true allegiance had been discovered. In some people morale had hit an all time low, in others the stress of the situation had driven them to ever increasing feats of mischief. Tyler was absent from the gathering in the living room; he was pacing in one of the lower rooms of the house while Elijah sat with him and Nixkamich clawed at the floor and tried to hold back screams.

According to Aaron's report Nixkamich had spat out the blood Klaus had forced into his mouth. Nixkamich knew what would happen if he had drank any of the Original's tainted life force, but it hadn't worked. During the ensuing 'battle', where Aaron had thrown the vervain grenade into the hybrid congregation, Klaus had snapped his neck. Now he was going through the de-siring process under Tyler's guidance.

_Charlotte is going to kill me, _was all Elijah could think. Well not really kill him; for one thing he was already dead, and they had the only white oak stake left in existence. No, but Nixkamich was like a father to the albino teenager, much like he was to Philip and Duncan. And it was for this reason, as self-punishment, that he forced himself to watch what his plan had brought upon in consequence. After all, why should Nixkamich, Charlotte and Tyler be the only ones to suffer for his actions? They shouldn't. And neither should the other occupants of the house be tormented by the screams, which was why the scent of burning sage drifted through the room.

"Keep turning!" Tyler urged, fists clenched. "You need to turn until the pain goes away. Only then can you be free of the sire bond!"

There was another crunch and a howl as one of the werewolf's bones snapped. Nix looked more wolf-like than human, with half-formed claws and a tail breaking out from his spine, sharp eyes and long teeth. Each transformation was becoming faster and less painful.

He'd been a werewolf for many years in Khimki, turning at will as a result of Órfhlaith's Influence over the forest. The pain of transformation had long since stopped but becoming a vampire increased emotion as well as pain, and that, in effect, restarted the whole chain.

Elijah frowned when, a few transformations later, the werewolf slumped against the walls. Tyler tried to press him onwards, but he seemed not to hear him. Knowing what he needed, he rose from the chair with a jug of water in his hand and held it out to the Native American. Nixkamich practically snatched it from his hand and threw his head back, swallowing the entire contents.

"Th- thanks."

"Alright, have a five minute break," said Tyler, taking the jug away. "I'll refill this."

As the hybrid passed, he shot an angered look at the Original. Elijah only saw it for a moment before he averted his eyes and turned back to sit on the chair. Nixkamich was quiet, not needing to breathe because of his new vampirism, otherwise he would have been gasping for it.

"Does Charlie know?" Nix asked, lifting his head slightly and his eyes even more. He looked even more ragged and defeated than ever. "Have … have you told her?"

"She would have found out either way," Elijah replied. "I called her after you woke up the first day."

Nix sighed and let his head fall again. There was a sound that could have been a hiss, or could have been a breathless curse that went unfinished. He shakily dragged his legs up to his chest and buried both hands into his hair. "Shoulda seen it coming," he mumbled to himself. "Shoulda run before the bastard caught me."

"It's not your fault," said the vampire quietly. "Perhaps I should have sent someone else with you. A vampire would have been able to help you run, but outside of Khimki, you couldn't exactly do-"

"No, no, I could have got away just fine on my own," Nix assured him. "I just didn't move fast enough. I knew he would probably try turn me, that's why I spat out the blood. Some must've slipped down my throat and I just didn't notice or somethin'. Hell, I don't know. Shit happens."

Shit happens. Yes, that was an accurate summary of pretty much life in general. It happened all of the time. Elijah had found it happened quite a lot in the thousand years he'd lived; they'd all had their fair share, some more than others.

Nixkamich suddenly started to shiver, and for a moment Elijah thought he was crying. The Original leaned forward, one hand on his knee, and paused when he saw the corners of his friend's lips twitching uncontrollably into a smile. Just as Tyler re-entered the room, he burst out into a fit of drunken giggles and didn't stop for a good minute or two. Something was amusing him, but they had no idea what.

"Okay, let's get started again," said Tyler, kneeling down a few feet in front of his fellow hybrid. "Ready?"

Nixkamich startled them both when, fangs bared and head falling back against the wall, he drawled in a state of odd euphoria, "fuck yeah..."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Just three days," Caroline said thoughtfully as she, Duncan, and Philip made brownies in the kitchen. Well actually Duncan and Philip were pelting each other with chocolate chips while she did most of the work. "Three more days until all of this is over."

Duncan smacked at his adoptive brother's head repeatedly as he tried to push some chocolate into his face. His recovery from the seizure had been swift, which made Caroline wonder if someone had used vampire blood to accelerate the healing process. The warlock, who looked younger but was actually older than she was, roughly grabbed a handful out of the bowl and sprayed them across the worktop.

Unable to stop herself from grinning as she was showered in delicious candy, she turned around and pointed the wooden spoon at them both, one hand on her hip. "Now you two better stop that right now before I come over there and make you regret it." Their amused expressions told her that her half-hearted threat hadn't really worked. At all. Actually the mischievous glint in Duncan's eye forewarned her that it was just encouraging their behaviour. "I thought you wanted to help me make brownies. _This_ does not look like you two making brownies."

"We're making brownies?" Philip took on an expression of mock surprise. "Oh, our mistake! We thought you wanted our help making a mess. Duncan," he turned towards his fellow Irishman, whose brow was raised, "shall we help our lovely friend make brownies?"

Duncan's response was a grin.

Caroline's lips wrinkled in her effort not to smile. She approached them with the spoon and gave them both a stern look. "No messing around. Act your ages."

Fifteen minutes later Kol, Rebekah and Elena entered the room to find Caroline tied up on the worktop, Philip lying deathly still on his stomach and Duncan rocking back and forth. When they tried to ask him what had happened, he tried to chase them out of the kitchen with the wooden spoon, shouting in an imitation of an elderly man's voice, "you kids get off my lawn!"

"I told them to act their ages," Caroline said as the two continued their charades; Philip, a hundred and nine years old, lying 'dead' with a flower on his back, and Duncan, seventy three years old, playing on a 'stereotypical old man'.

"Maybe you should act your age too," Philip said brightly, lifting his head to beam at Kol.

"_Dead,_" Duncan said simply.

Philip's head promptly fell back onto the counter with a _bang._

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Elijah watched with a reservedly proud smile as Philip peeled the wrapping paper away from his birthday presents.

From Rebekah and Kol he had got money to spend on whatever he wanted. Duncan had gone out and bought him a huge stash of jawbreakers, some of which he had hidden around the house in various places. Aaron had agreed to take him out to an arcade and buy him enough tokens and ice cream to make his pockets burst, and Wes had dropped in with Riki on their break and agreed to let him have a bit of time on the Batmobile—with Duncan if he so wished. Elena had got him a small friendship bracelet with some fish on it and Damon had reluctantly pitched in with a bit of his own birthday cheer. By getting him some alcohol, because he needed more drinking buddies.

Now he was opening Elijah's present, the little wood carving of the dolphin leaping out of the water. Elijah just stood with his hands in his pockets as the younger vampire studied it, touching along each intricate detail, bending the tips of his fingers into each crevice. The water it leapt out of was actually in the shape of a wedge-tailed eagle, himself, which was a subtle expression of his feelings towards his adoptive son. It flew upside-down, wings forming the main part of the spray, and head curled forward, beak like a hook.

Elijah hadn't actually got much experience in painting. He was the carpenter, better at using his calloused hands for chipping away at wood, so he'd had to ask December Grace, the head lifeguard at the nearby tower, to paint it for him. She had a degree in art and had a hobby in it as well, and had been happy to oblige if it meant getting her brushes out.

Philip tilted the carving in the light and smiled happily. "This is awesome," he said, scampering over to Elijah and jumping up into a hug. "Thanks, Uncle Eli!"

Elijah smiled weakly and ruffled the boy's hair.

A few hours later and the Original was walking into his room, laughter ringing in his ears, sighing with annoyed exasperation. Elena followed him to the door of his room while party music sang loudly out of the stereos and everyone else danced the night away. The doppelgänger was giggling at his expense and she wasn't even trying to hide it. Elijah was just plain annoyed.

"This was my favourite shirt," he huffed, trying to peel off the chocolate-covered clothing without getting any on his hands, floor or shoes. It was dripping down his body like maple syrup, slowly but surely, and he was sure there was some on his face as well. "_This_ is why I don't get him chocolate sauce."

"Come on, Kol didn't know what would happen," Elena said, and snorted when the urge to laugh became too great. "...Even if it was his fault."

Was his fault? She had no idea. It was a purpose act to disobey him. There was a reason that Kol's name rhymed with Troll, and it wasn't because of his enchanting good looks. Rather than listen to his warning not to buy it he had gone out and got a whole tray of the stuff, and now Damon was probably stuck to the walls with Riki and a drunken Tyler in wolf form trying to lick him clean. _I brought it on myself though. Had I not said anything in the first place, he wouldn't have gone out and got it._

Elijah rolled the shirt up and flung it at the doppelgänger. "Do you know how hard it is to get this stuff out of _silk_?" Elena caught the shirt, but since the sauce was on the inside, she remained perfectly clean. After all he was nothing if not a gentleman. "Next year I might as well just come dressed in white, handfuls of it with a sign plastered to my forehead saying '_Paint me like one of your French girls'. _I'm sure they'd get the message._"_

Elena burst out laughing at that and threw his shirt aside onto the floor. The song downstairs changed; now they were dancing to Gangnam Style, and from the slow-coming echoing drumroll that even she could hear amongst the pounding techno, everyone was joining in. She actually wished they were down there now, not just because she wanted to dance with them, but because she would have loved to see Elijah performing the steps.

"Come on, we're missing the party!" Elena remained leaning against the doorway as Elijah went about getting some older clothes from his cabinet. Months before she would have assumed his cabinets consisted of suits, but in fact only a small fraction of them made up his clothes. It was almost like he was on vacation. Would he revert back to suits for the war?

Elijah just did his trademark brow quirk and tipping of the head. Elena blushed and turned, knowing that he wasn't about to get changed while she was watching.

In fact he'd have preferred it if she'd been downstairs with the rest of them, but whatever. Something about the whole situation made him not care that she was around with him. She seemed very comfortable around him, almost acting the same way with him as she did with Damon and Caroline. There were a few boundaries she still didn't cross but it didn't matter. She was getting more confident, and he admired her growing bravery.

Seconds later he was changed, just threading the last button in his shirt. But he sat on the edge of his bed just gazing at her back, wondering how a mere human could be so … strong. She'd seen a lot of things that would make other people crack several times over but she seemed to take it all in stride, if not with a bit of difficulty at times, but who wouldn't find things difficult? This entire situation was one huge mess up. They were walking into war and perhaps death.

"You don't seem worried," he observed after a moment. Elena got the sense he had finished dressing, but she still didn't turn around. She caught onto what he was talking about, though. It had been the focus of idle conversation every now and again for weeks.

Smiling, she brushed a strand of straight oaken hair behind her ear and said, "what's there to be worried about? We're going to kick his butt and save the world from an otherwise horrible fate. Right?"

Elijah thought about this for a moment, and then stood. "While I admire your confidence, it might not turn out that way."

Elena cut him off. "Over the time I've spent with you, Damon and everyone else, I've learned that being afraid of what might come could just slow you down. We've got Originals, hybrids, witches and warlocks, vampires and werewolves on our side, _and _an indestructible white oak stake. Klaus may be powerful but I don't know how he can take us all on. As long as we have the stake, there's no way he can take us down."

"Klaus has often pulled out tricks from even the darkest sides of magic. He has no qualms about trickery, rape or murder to get what he wants." Gazing at the ancient sword, Elijah found himself drawn to it, and rested a hand on the handle, a frown set upon his lips.

Elena bristled. Mention of his callousness made her turn. "Has Klaus ever raped someone?" Elijah didn't respond. "_Elijah._"

He didn't see how it would change anything, except serve to make her hate him more. Elijah lifted his hand from the blade and gazed at the doppelgänger soberly. "The things he has done in his lifetime have been beyond monstrous." He said carefully. "Rape is just another form of torture, be it of the body or the mind."

Compelling women to sleep with him had been something of a power statement amongst vampires in some of the earlier days, a dark trend which he had started. Even Kol and Rebekah, at the time wanting to show their strength, had partaken. Perhaps Kol still did it, he had no idea. It seemed like something he would do. He and Finn had never thought twice about it though, and had flat out refused to do it. As for mental rape, that was something along the lines of what Elena had experienced from Stefan. Taking things from them, making them forget, or forcing them into acting in the way he so desired. He could tear their minds apart piece by piece, leave them broken and begging for death.

Elena was shocked into silence. Her heartbeat was racing in her chest, eyes wide and locked onto Elijah, whose eyes burned with hatred. "This is why you're seen as evil." He didn't respond to her, just gazed past her as if at something she could not see. "This is why nobody trusts vampires. Witches, werewolves … Bonnie and Tyler get along but Bonnie always suspected Stefan of something, no matter how close they got."

"Esther created vampires by tapping into the darkest place possible and unleashed a plague upon the earth, and started a war with the witches. Mikael forged a dark reputation and started the war with the wolves." Elijah chuckled bitterly, poured a cup of whiskey from the jar he kept by his bedside table and offered her one. "Funny how one person can change the world, isn't it?"

However, as Elijah toasted and lifted the glass to his lips, his auburn eyes sharpened and he backed away. Elena stiffened, whirled around, but saw nothing.

He erupted into a violent coughing fit that brought him to his knees. Elena caught him by the arm, dropping the glass which shattered on the floor. Blood sprayed from his mouth like a waterfall, splashing over his hands and her clothes. Darker specks of clotted blood landed on the floor and he started choking.

"Oh god. Elijah? Elijah, what's wrong?"

Duncan, Philip and Damon came scampering up the stairs, all of them covered in confetti and shoving each other. Their eyes locked onto the scene and their joy vanished instantly and turned to shock. They ran through the hall and into the room, and Philip threw the door shut and locked it behind them.

"What's going on?" Damon asked, wide-eyed.

"Explain it later!" Philip shot across the room to the draws and opened the very bottom one, pulling out a cloth and some strange smelling liquid that he dowsed the fabric in. "Sit him up!"

Elena and Damon grabbed one shoulder each and crouched behind the Original. Elijah convulsed and spat out another mouthful of crimson as Duncan began to chant, his fingers spread and dreadlocks swaying in a breeze summoned by the power of the warlocks.

"_Asinta Mulaf Hinto. Phasmatos Regux Redismo Sus Terra. Asinta Mulaf Hinto. Phasmatos Regux Redismo Sus Terra."_

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Through the apprehensive silence, the grandfather clock ticked on in the bedroom.

Elijah was awake but slightly dazed, gazing out of the window while Aaron checked him over one last time. Philip hadn't let go of his arm, and Damon was trying to make sense of the whole situation. Duncan had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed, his head in Elena's lap and face buried into the crook of his elbow.

The doppelgänger absently stroked the warlock's braided hair as she waited for Aaron to finish. He padded across the room, picked up a glass of whiskey from the side and slit one of his wrists, pressing the wound against the glass. Blood trickled into the alcohol and turned it a shade of dawn orange.

"Drink this," Aaron ordered, pressing the glass into his brother's hand. Elijah blinked for clarity and then began to sip at the blood-whiskey.

Damon tried to sound uncaring. "Did someone spike the booze?"

"If they did, they didn't do it right." Elena rolled her eyes and trailed one of Duncan's braids. Inwardly she was irked at the dark humour because her mind was circulating around the events of the past hour, particularly the part about Klaus. She had expected terrible things of him, but she had never, ever thought that he would be capable of … of _that_. She couldn't get it out of her mind. _How many lives has he ruined?_ She glanced sidewards at Damon. _Has he ever done such a thing?_

Damon was respectful and charming when he wanted to be, but even he had his moments. Elena knew he had feelings for her, but how far would he be willing to go to imagine the perfect life between them? The thought made her sick.

The dark-haired Salvatore gave her a devious smile and sat down beside her. "Okay, it was a tasteless joke, I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

Damon deadpanned, squinted at her and shrugged. "Alright, I'm not." He sighed and fell back on the bed. "But you, Elena, need to stop being so depressed. Live a little!" There was a pause, and he sat up again, turning his attention to Aaron. "Really, though, did someone spike the drink with vervain?"

They'd all seen the effects of vervain on a vampire before. There was a sizzle of burning skin, like acid melting away flesh, and blood … but she hadn't seen him take a sip of the drink.

"No, the drink is clean." As if to make a point, Philip leaned across the bed, picked up the jug and took a gulp of the contents. They peered across, waiting for a reaction, but it never came. Damon took a sample as well, part to test it and another part because he wanted a drink. "This is something else."

Damon's lip curled at the strength of the drink. "It sure is," he croaked weakly, coughing. "God, you can swallow that?"

Philip smiled. "Just because I look like a kid-"

"-and act like one-"

"-_and act like one,_" he conceded, "doesn't mean I am one. I do drink. So does Duncan, but not as much."

Alcohol that could make _Damon_ gag at just a sip must've been stronger than acid, Elena thought. But then again he was a vampire. She'd taken a swig of it and been alright.

"You want me to tell them?" Elena glanced up. Aaron was speaking quietly with Elijah, who responded with a slight nod. "You're right. They'd have found out either way."

"Found out what?" Elena asked confusedly.

Aaron smiled and lowered the Original down onto the bed. "Get some rest, little brother. I'll take over for now."

Elena's eyes widened and so did Damon's. Putting the whiskey back onto the night stand, he stood up and gave up some space. "You two are _brothers_?"

Aaron blinked in surprise like he were asking himself something, and then smiled cordially and extended his hand in a second greeting. "Aaron Mikaelson, oldest Original vampire," he drawled, adding more slowly, "at your service." In the silence that followed he laughed. "Mind blown."

"Charmed," Damon sneered, slapping their hands together and shaking it. "Well this is a surprise. The last I heard about you, you were dead."

Aaron gave a toothy grin, motioning to Elena and Duncan. "You heard right. We're all dead, my friend, except perhaps those two. So, you want to know what happened to Elijah. I'll tell you." He finished the rest of his drink in one sip and set the glass on the table. "You guys heard of the second hybrid, I suppose."

Damon scoffed. "'Course we have. The guy's meant to be kicking Klaus's ass. This got somethin' to do with him? ...or her."

_Click._ That was the sound of the answer falling into place in Elena's mind. She would have stood up had Duncan not been sprawled out over the front of her legs. Glancing at him, she rested her hand on his back and rubbed a rhythmic, soothing circle there. "That's impossible," she breathed. "You can't be serious."

Aaron's blond hair glowed as he passed the window. "Someone's got a sharp mind."

"What?" Damon barked, slightly drunk and indignant. "_What?_"

Elena turned and stared at the Salvatore. "The second hybrid, a vampire and witch," she said urgently. "In the images we found in the caves there were three vampires stood in front of an army on the right side of the wall with another in front of them. Remember? And Klaus was on the left with his army of hybrids." Damon nodded slowly, bringing forth the image in his mind. "Bonnie and I thought that it had to be Elijah, Rebekah and Kol, but Aaron is an Original too."

Damon's gaze darkened. "There are only three Originals in the painting though," he recalled. "Aaron's not one of them. Or..." he looked slowly to Elijah, whose blood painted the room red. "He _is,_ and someone's missing."

Elena nodded, and searched Aaron's gaze. It remained steadily neutral. He gave nothing away. Then something else occurred to the doppelgänger and she twisted to look at the sword, which still stood in the corner of the room.

_...And he hadn't. He shut the door and sat back down on his chair, working on sculpting something out of the wood he had there. Judging by the fact that he'd just allowed her to remain in the room, she took it as a sign that she wasn't being kicked out, but she was balancing on the line between safety and bloodshed. Rather than speak, though, she just settled down beside him and watched him work. It paid off. After a few long minutes, he finally spoke._

_"That sword used to belong to me, back when I was human." Elijah muttered, distracting his hands with the wood. "My father used it to … turn me. That's where the scar came from, and that's why I don't want it here."  
_

"That sword has a link to the last lunar eclipse and that's why we needed to find it."

_Mikael sat with his head in his hands, praying that he would just wake up. In the others they'd been 'dead' for a scant few hours, but Elijah had lain there all night. The sun was cresting the horizon and he was as pale as death, his heart stilled and expression pained. Shivers ran down the length of his body. He didn't understand. It had worked the other times, hadn't it? So what had gone wrong?_

"The fight takes place on the same lunar eclipse that the Original vampires were turned on," she explained. "The same night they were killed."

_Clouds blocked out the sun and behind Mikael, Elijah stirred. Power crackled like lightning in the atmosphere and the wind began to rise and fade as if breathing, but the lungs of the man drew no air. Auburn eyes glowed and he began to rise as leaves around him swirled in a loose, invisible whirlwind. Mikael looked up._

_Fear made him take a step back. Elijah's lips parted slightly, and through him spoke the voices of a thousand enraged spirits. They chanted words of an ancient, powerful language. Witches, warlocks neither voice standing out but like thunder beside his ears, falling into his palms. The witches were forging something out of darkness, they were seizing his son and using him as a catalyst. There was a scream and Esther crashed from the trees, bloodied and beaten._

"_Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," whispered the wind from everywhere and nowhere. Mikael looked around, but couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice. "An eye for an eye, a life … for a life."_

"_The spirits – they're angry," Esther gasped._

"_Beyond angry," said a voice. Ayana stepped out, put herself between the divided family. Her eyes burned. "The magic you used was called Expression. It is the darkest, most evil form you can use. What have you done, Esther? You were warned."_

"I thought that you were the second hybrid," Elena went on, looking to Aaron, who had started to smile slightly. "But you're not."

"_I wanted to keep my children safe," Esther said shakily. "I wanted to-"_

"_Just because you have the power to act does not mean you should do it! In selfishly trying to immortalise your own children, you have torn apart another—what right do you think you have?"_

"In creating the Original vampires, Esther sacrificed the life of a woman called Tatia." Elena's gaze fell upon Elijah's cabinet, the one which held the wood carvings, searching for one in particular.

"The original doppelgänger," Damon said.

"Yes." Aaron's gaze pierced Elena as he spoke. "Vampires were meant to just require blood to complete the transition, and then they'd just be free. However, Tatia's blood was immensely pure, not meant to be used in such dark spells. The addictiveness of it is why vampires cannot survive without it today."

"What do you mean her blood was pure?" Damon snorted incredulously. "You mean she was a _virgin_?"

And there it was. Elena's dark eyes landed upon the beautiful seven hundred year old carving on the top shelf, the one that looked so much like her. "No, she wasn't a virgin, otherwise I wouldn't be here." Pure blood, addictiveness, doppelgänger bloodline... "She was an angel." Damon's eyes flashed with surprise and he leaned back, straightening up. "And you're not supposed to use an angel's blood."

"That's correct," said Aaron. His eyes twinkled with amusement. "And Esther did. To put it simply, she angered quite a lot of spirits that day and set the wrath of quite a few supernatural species upon herself. As retribution for killing a sacred creature such as an angel, well … they let us keep our immortality and power, but they tore us all apart. Klaus daggered Kol, Finn and Rebekah, and chased Elijah across the globe for a couple hundred years for letting Katherine go, while I was forced to stay away from my siblings until now."

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not getting any of this."

Elena sighed. "Overview: Tatia was an angel, Originals were created using angel blood, this pissed off spirits." Damon glared at her. "Comprehend?"

"Capiche," he retorted. He motioned to Elijah. "What's this gotta do with him?"

Elena face-palmed, Aaron rolled his eyes and Philip munched on a jawbreaker loud enough to wake Duncan, who had been drooling over Elena's leg. "Buh?"

"I'm the second hybrid."

Damon's mouth open and closed a few times as Elijah sat up, his eyes sharply focused. Then he just grunted, reached across the bed for the whiskey, and started downing the lot of it.

_Capiche? You have no idea._


	37. Walking into War

"You have any other fancy little secrets I should know about, or are they all used up?"

"Well if I told you them, they wouldn't exactly be secret then, would they?"

Damon still swore he was drunk out of his mind and hallucinating. But then he realised that vampires couldn't get drunk, even if they so desperately tried. In his opinion getting bitten by a werewolf was as close to drunk as he could get, and he wasn't about to ask Tyler for a little nip on the arm. As interesting as it would be, the pain aspect of the bite sucked.

No matter how long he flicked through channels on the TV, he couldn't find anything interesting. This, of course, made him wonder if all human programs were boring. Then he passed over a news report about a certain teenage singer and _really_ wished he was drunk. So he had a reason to explain the sudden onslaught of nausea that almost made him throw up all over the worktop, of course. Drinking alcohol made a vampire feel sick. "So how come we can't get drunk?" he asked himself in bewilderment.

Elijah just shrugged through his eyes.

Damon promptly threw a tantrum and kicked the remote across the table. "I thought you were meant to be smart."

"I've never tried to get drunk before," he confessed. "Not intentionally."

Something had been nagging at Damon for about ten minutes now. An annoying but relevant stray thought that had drifted through his mind and then refused to leave. As if his head was a room-for-hire or something. "So what weaknesses do you have?" he asked, glass of whiskey in hand and ready to be consumed. A hundred years of sobriety but damn it, he would still try.

Elijah just looked at him as if to say, _really?_ Damon sent back a look to say, _duh._

"Oh come on, we're friends here, aren't we?" The elder Salvatore brother offered his trademark devious smirk which didn't actually help at all. "Just curious. When Klaus became half vampire, half werewolf—because the term _hybrid_ I feel has been horribly overused—he lost several weaknesses and gained several more. E.g. lost the whole _wolf venom is bad _aspect and the whole point of only being allowed to turn on a full moon. And his senses were heightened too, weren't they? Boy, that must suck in an elevator full of people. No point in playing the _whodunnit_ game, because he'd just massacre everyone in there." Damon laughed half way through the end of the last sentence at his own joke.

Crude as the humour was, Elijah couldn't help but allow a faint twitch of his lips to show through. "What weaknesses do witches have?" he wondered aloud, leaving the question open for Damon's interpretation. And sure enough he did answer.

"Using too much magic, not believing in magic, the fact that they're alive … but you're not and you obviously believe so you don't count for those last two." There was a pause as Damon sifted through his witchy-weakness database to drag up some more information. "Well when they're scared they can't use magic." His brow lifted in disbelief. "But I can't ever imagine _you _being scared."

_Really? I can think of a few times._ Elijah glanced upon his lap to where his kids were settled, their eyes closed and breathing even. They were leaving the beach house to go to travel to Scotland, where the final battle would take place. It had to be in a secluded forest where nobody would see anything, because they were _not_ about to start duking it out in the middle of a crowded city. _I'm terrified right now, _he admitted to himself. _I'm terrified of losing these two, my brothers and sister, I'm terrified of losing to Klaus … what happens if I fail? Klaus will undoubtedly hunt me to the ends of the earth, and he doesn't know it, but while these two are my greatest strength, they are also my greatest liability. What will I do if he hurts them? Will I lose control?_

Damon was silent for a moment as his words were effectively shot out of the water. _But then again, I hadn't exactly __expected Elijah to be a family man, to have kids or a real life like I do. _"So what, you're not gonna tell me? Not even a hint?"

Well maybe he should have expected it. Since when does anyone willingly talk to another about their faults? Elijah had let his guard down and that's what Damon had latched onto. Because despite his own attempts to seem cold, he was actually extremely perceptive even to emotions. _An annoying habit I got from having a baby brother suck up to me, _he called it. He wondered if he should have just thrown caution and his expectations to the wind when he heard the Original say, very quietly, "I can't switch off my emotions."

Damon sniggered. Not at Elijah, but at the irony. "You can't switch off your emotions anyway," he said dismissively, though he knew it wasn't _entirely_ true. He'd read in an old journal while doing research that you could, but only if you truly didn't care about anything and you saw no reason to. The amount of times he'd tried, he always ended up caring. That was just proof it didn't work. Damon refused to care about anything. Well, at least he tried to.

As the silence progressed, he began to mull over what Elijah had said and piece things together. Despite acting and seeming like one, he was not a clown. "I don't have a red nose or big shoes," he mumbled absently to himself, to which the comment made sense.

Elijah, however, wasn't a mind reader and blinked confusedly at the seemingly spontaneous comment.

Damon glanced at him. "Seriously, I'm not." And then he went back to thinking, as he observed the alcohol sloshing around in his glass. _Vampire weaknesses … vervain, sunlight, wood, werewolf venom, wood … invitation, and starvation … _"Those two rhyme. I think. No, wait..." _Witch weaknesses, already listed. Hmmm … _"Fear. Your main weakness would be fear, right?"

Now Elijah blinked at him in dazed confusion, as if he had been thinking about something completely different. "Pardon?"

"Fear," Damon repeated, and then went on to explain, "your emotions are heightened especially so since you're an Original vampy." Putting down the glass, he reached across the table for a cupcake—_because hey, they're delicious, and not just the cupcake_—and began peeling back the paper base. "But witches, and warlocks," he added at Elijah's furtive glare, "can't use magic if they're afraid. Can't focus. So what does that mean for you? If you really can't switch off your emotions, you can't switch off fear, and that means..."

"Well done, I think you're starting to get somewhere. Just one question," Elijah gestured with one finger laxly, "I thought you said it's impossible to turn off your feelings."

Damon grumbled something inarticulate. "Forget what I said."

Kol traipsed into the room. "Almost everything's in place. Rebekah's finishing up the last preparations now with Caroline, and Elena's packing the grenades." Dark eyes fell upon the sleeping brothers on his older brother's lap. He smiled when Elijah made a shrugging motion and the boys, each supported by one arm, stirred sleepily but did not wake. "You want me to take them?" he interpreted, swiftly crossing the room. "I'll put them in the car."

Kol scooped the boys up into his arms and smirked darkly at Damon. "I call shotgun."

Damon sneered. "Called it before you."

Kol did his best and managed successfully to stick up his middle finger as he passed. "Fucker."

"Dick."

"_Not_ in front of the kids," Elijah said distractedly.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Two cars rolled through the streets of Dublin, their tyres crushing gravel and branches. At the wheel of one was Rebekah, who was behind the lead vehicle in the Escalade. In the other was Tyler, paving the way to the Airport.

"Tickets are already in hand," Caroline reported over the phone connecting the two cars. She was with Elena, Aaron and Tyler in the silver Ford Escort. "I went and bought them yesterday and confirmed the location with Rebekah. The flight will land in Glasgow, and we make our way down from there."

There was a bout of swearing from the other end that made Tyler glare at the mirror. "Kol, just accept you have the map upside-down and stop pissing around!"

"It is _not_ upside-down!"

Caroline forced back a smile, shook her head and warned, "er, guys, you might want to be careful. There's a police car trailing us."

Rebekah huffed. "No, Caroline, that's just us." The car swerved violently as she smacked at Kol's head. Kol scrunched up the map, his lips pursed and wrinkled, glaring at his sister angrily.

"Pack it in, both of you." Damon snapped.

"Bloody blonde women drivers," Kol complained.

In an impressive feat whilst recovering from a particularly nasty swerve, Rebekah reached around to the front passenger seat and punched Kol straight in the face, streaming out curses as she did so. The black Escalade growled as she put her foot down and sped up slightly to make up lost distance.

"Don't you dare crash my car!" Elijah was shouting.

Nursing his broken nose, he slumped in his seat and caught a glimpse of white, yellow and blue in the side mirror—a police car. Now Kol was as eager to get to Glasgow as possible so he could rip his half-brother a new one, but he couldn't resist opening the window, waving his arm out and howling at the top of his lungs, "Fuck da police! Fuck da-"

Nixkamich reached over from his middle seat in the second row and tried pulling the vampire back in. "Don't provoke them!"

Kol's eyes flooded with challenge. "What are you gonna do about it, Sunshine?"

"He won't do anything, but if you don't shut up, I'm going to kick you the fuck out and drag you by your ballsack while driving down this road at ninety. I swear to god, Kol." Rebekah broke off of her threat with a frustrated howl as a pair of blue lights and a siren began to wail about ten feet behind them.

Damon cast an interested, slightly bored look at Elijah. "Now that I'd like to see."

"You're older than ninety, my dear strumpet," Kol sneered. Rebekah barely restrained herself as she pulled over at the side of the road.

"You're bickering like an old married couple!" shouted Aaron over the phone, though he was laughing at the entire conversation. Obviously he would have liked to see it too. "Do you want us to pull over?"

"Us?" Tyler said. "I'm driving. And they're a road hazard. Next thing they'll be up my backside and driving the car for me."

"Watch what you wish for, pretty boy."

"Kol, if you make one more sound, I'll personally see to it that you walk the rest of the way." Elijah's eyes burned into the back of his brother's head.

"_Thank you!_" Damon smiled. "I don't know about you guys but the arguing was getting-"

"No," Elijah interrupted, glancing towards the back of the car. "They're going to wake up the kids."

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Tyler, you go ahead and meet us at the airport. Elena, remember that café we were at a couple months back?"

"Sure. I'll take everyone there."

"Bitch!" Kol spat, clawing at Rebekah's sleeve.

"Thanks," Elijah muttered.

As an officer approached the bouncing Cadillac Escalade, the two vampires kept fighting, but there was disbelief on her face as Damon lowered the window and smiled pleasantly. "Good evening, officer. May we help you?"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Give me one reason why I should let you two drive my car _ever_ again."

Rebekah and Kol didn't look the slightest bit guilty as they sat on the plane—as far away from each other as possible. That, however, couldn't and didn't stop Kol from flinging peanuts at her head. When he ran out of his own, he snatched Damon's out from his tray and replied that he really didn't care, and that he would just steal the car if he wanted to. At that point Damon was past caring about his stolen food. He was busy hassling the crew of the aircraft with questions to sate his own boredom.

"Really? I'm a great pilot, you know."

Elena didn't believe in the slightest that Damon could fly a plane. Glancing over the group, she figured maybe Aaron could, but wasn't placing any bets. At a couple thousand feet up she wasn't too worried they'd get kicked off of the plane, though if Kol decided to start acting up she was certain they'd have to turn around and go back. The flight only lasted for just over an hour.

Caroline and Tyler were having a moment in their seats behind her so she figured she'd just leave them alone. By moment she meant heated discussion that was borderline argumentative. It was too low for her to hear what was being said so she simply turned her attention elsewhere—to Nix, who was sat next to a round middle-aged man who snored like a choking horse. His head was tilted back and his throat was exposed. Nixkamich looked to be struggling.

Elena reached around and attracted Tyler's attention, and nodded towards the hybrid.

Nixkamich's eyes were beginning to become bloodshot and his hands gripped the armrest so tight it looked like it would break. With his strength it very well could.

Tyler jumped up instantly and knelt down beside him. A massacre on a plane was not what they needed, Elena thought as she slithered from her chair and approached Rebekah.

"I think Nix is hungry," she said quietly.

Rebekah didn't glance up and continued to brush her hair. "So?"

Elena sighed. "So," she said, "he's new to the whole … thing. He's not gonna last long." She left the blank open, more out of her own desire not to say the word _vampire_ in front of a plane full of people. It wasn't wrong, but she didn't want to be deemed a crackpot. Not when she had to sit with said people for the better part of an hour.

Rebekah sighed, got up and pushed her way to where Nixkamich sat, a small duffel bag over her shoulder. The crowd around the chair attracted one of the members of the crew, and Tyler smiled as he assured her that everything was fine, while trying to hide the fact that Nixkamich's eyes were red and veined.

The flight to Glasgow ended soon after and nothing bad happened. Unless, of course, Kol watching downloaded clips of Frankie Boyle on his phone and laughing raucously and disturbing the other passengers was classed as _bad_. Elena figured it was more annoying than anything.

All throughout this, neither Duncan nor Philip had woken up, and as they drove down the M77—Rebekah and Kol in different cars and in the back, because Elijah was concerned they might start ramming each other if he dared let either of them drive—she wondered if they were under some sort of trance.

Leaning over to Damon, she asked this.

"Vampires can manipulate dreams of those who are asleep and deepen it," he murmured quietly. "Elijah must have put them under for a while to make sure they're well rested."

Elena nodded in understanding. The drivers had rotated since before the flight; now Caroline drove the Ford Escort and Elijah, his SUV. While they cruised down the motorway he sipped at a blood bag.

"So let me make sure I've got this right," Caroline said through the phone. "We're not going to drive straight to the park. We're going to pull up in Maybole and run south until we get there, is that right?"

Whatever sugar high Elena was on, it began to wear off. Sleep claimed her unexpectedly and she missed the next few hours of journeying.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Several lines of wolves ran past him into the forest, his pack. Paws churned up the earth and heartbeats thumped, chasing away all prey for miles. Through the shroud, a massive black-striped silver wolf stormed, batting away anything that got into his way.

"Find her!" he roared, eyes glinting madly in the moonlight. "Find the witch and kill her!"

He knew it could be a trap. That's why he had brought several forms of insurance. The wolf transformed to Klaus as his pack swarmed around him, splitting about the forest. Barks and snarls echoed throughout the forest park, but he paid no attention to them.

_Esther wouldn't have said this particular night for no reason. I know what tonight is. One thousand years, the eclipse..._

"You lot, do some witchy spell and find out where they are," he ordered, rounding on a group of people clustering near the trees.

"We need something that belongs to that you wish to find," said one, stepping over sticks.

Klaus reached into the back of his jeep and thrust a bag at them. They set to work trying to locate his family, the treacherous witch who had kidnapped his brothers and sister. He kept one ear trained on them as they worked and searched the narrow path of trees with his eyes. All he could see was the flicker of fur as his pack scoured the forest in search of their quarry.

"They aren't here yet. We can't sense them nearby."

That was not the answer he wanted to hear, and Klaus nearly tore them apart. _No. To fight witches, I need witches. _"Then set up a perimeter. Something gets in, it doesn't get out. And don't even _think_ about leaving."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ x ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Ditch the vehicles. We proceed on foot."

"Oh, where have I heard this before?" Damon pretended to think for a second. "Army movies?"

"Ex-soldier," Aaron shrugged. Undoing his seatbelt, he slipped out of the car and took a look around. "Several wars, actually. This'll probably be my last for a while. My partner'll murder me if I keep trying to get myself killed."

"I can't wait to get this whole day over with so I can go home, have a bath and not have to worry about Klaus. Let's just go in, kill him and go."

Aaron fell into step with Caroline and Tyler. "You shouldn't be so eager to get to the fight," he said gravely. "Niklaus is not going to step down and take it on the chin. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he came prepared for the occasion."

"Prepared? What do you mean _prepared_?"

"He means you shouldn't get so excited because, chances are, Klaus'll have a hostage lined up and waiting."

Caroline stopped walking, her mind momentarily numb, and whirled around to face the owner of the voice. "_Elena?_"

Elena looked impassive, surprisingly so as she stood beside Rebekah. Talk of a possible hostage silenced the chatter but the doppelgänger carried on as if it was only the two of them. "You don't expect him to turn up alone, do you? He's going to come with hybrids and witches of his own, but he's expecting _something_ to happen."

"If he's expecting something to happen then how are we going to get close to him?" Tyler frowned. "In fact, how are we even going to be certain he'll show up?"

"Because he's already here," said Duncan. The boy knelt over a map, his hands raised and palm down, almond eyes studying the images. "I've used a location spell. This is his blood on the map and this," he pointed to a smear on a patch labelled _Galloway Forest Park, _"is where he is. We're here," he pointed to another button of blood, "and this is the path we will take."

"If you can find him, can't he find us?"

"He could. However..." Duncan pointed with his thumb to the hood of the car where Elijah leaned, murmuring something under his breath. "He's blocking the spell. Unless they think to perform the counter-counter spell, they're not going to find out where we are."

Rebekah pointed accusingly at Tyler as he opened his mouth. "Ask any more _'and if they' _questions and I'll rip out your teeth."

"They're coming!" called Philip, running over. "Khimki pack is here, and so are our witches!"

As he finished his announcement a blind, blue-eyed young she-wolf with the odd silver marking around her pelt skidded to a halt nearby and lifted her tail in signal. A wolf pack streamed out behind her and Sharpclaw rushed to greet them, where he was received with joyful nuzzles and yips. Vampires from the pack leaned in to ruffle his fur, and a random goat from the pack bleated happily.

Caroline and Elena couldn't hold back their squeals of joy as Bonnie climbed out of a car, dressed in a red all-weather coat and brown boots as if she were going somewhere cold. The Bennett witch held out her arms and was squashed against the black chassis. "I missed you too," she murmured shakily.

Lucy Bennett was dressed the opposite; she wore a thin black shirt and trousers, and grinned as she walked past her cousin and towards the warlock bent over the map. "Duncan Bennett?"

"Lucy!" Duncan got up and stepped over the map, opening his arms up for a hug. "Not looking bad for thirty-three."

"Says the boy of seventy-three," Lucy teased. "You haven't aged a day."

Duncan snorted. As Bonnie broke away from Caroline and Elena, he reached up as far as he could and hi-fived his relative. "Nice coat."

Bonnie waved dismissively at his inquiry. "They wouldn't let me come without it," she said. Taking this as a cue, another set of voices rose out from the cars pulling up into line around them.

"Elena!"

Elijah simply stood away as Elena, again, squealed, and enveloped Alaric in a hug. Meredith Fell came up behind them, and wrapped her arm around Alaric's side. "Damon," Alaric purred, pulling him into a manly hug and patting his back.

Alaric was a man with stubble around his face, short brown hair groomed slightly backwards with a left-side parting. His jaw was square, arms strong, a vampire hunter with considerable skill. Like Lucy, Kol, Duncan and Damon, he was dressed solely in black. But he had some serious armaments with him. A crossbow was slung over his shoulder with a quiver strapped to the back, and he had a duffel bag with many more weapons inside.

"I don't understand," said Elena, though she remained overjoyed. "Bonnie, Alaric, Meredith … why are you all here? Where's Jeremy?"

"Damon told me you had an infestation," Alaric said simply. Four other hunters loitered around him, unloading weapons, some of which they passed over to the witches. "Klaus brought more hybrids than you were expecting. So I brought a few friends to help out." Raising his voice, he shouted, "hand 'em out! And I want these back afterwards." Turning back to Elena, he added, "You're going to be fighting and Meredith's a surgeon. If anyone gets hurt, she's agreed to help." Meredith nodded her consent at this, patting a bag on her side. "But she's not going to be doing anything without a rifle."

"I thought we weren't allowed to tell anyone."

Damon, in turn, glanced and half-smiled at Elijah. "You know me. Since when do I ever listen to rules?" he drawled. "I convinced him it would be a good idea to have Alaric on our side."

"Actually I threatened to stake him unless he told me where you'd been hiding," Alaric cut in. Damon's face fell and he squinted at the vampire hunter. Alaric just glared. "Caught him sneaking into his own house like a rat. I was a little bit surprised to find out you'd been living with _them_ for six weeks. You're alright?"

"Elijah took care of me, Ric," said Elena with a fond smile. "He's taught me a lot. I trust him."

"Well I don't," Alaric growled with a suspicious glare at Kol, who just happened to catch his eye. Kol's expression only increased in dark mischief and he waved as if to taunt the hunter, but made no other move, instead inspecting some of the weapons he had brought. "I still don't fully understand all this. I just know that you're going to be fighting. And to answer your question earlier, we dropped Jeremy off somewhere safe a few days ago. He doesn't know about any of this."

"You can't talk me out of it," Elena warned. "I'm fighting whether you like it or not. I've been learning how to defend myself, I can take care of myself."

"I suppose Damon's been teaching you then, has he?" At this, Damon smiled wryly.

"Actually it wasn't just him. Elijah and Philip taught me most of what I know." Alaric's eyes widened and he looked around the gathering in disbelief. He caught the unwavering gaze of the Original at the edge of the 'camp' talking with witches. He gave a little nod, and then Alaric was even more startled with a little boy no older than nine hopped up onto his shoulder and started laughing. Elijah looked sideways at the boy and smiled, saying something that was lost in the crowd.

"That's Philip there, on his shoulder," said Elena fondly.

"We're going to have a discussion later," Alaric started. Suddenly there was a ripple of movement in the crowd, several raised voices, and everyone looked around. Elena could scarcely believe her eyes when she saw who it was.

"I've come to help," said the woman as she stepped towards the gathering. Elena and her friends bristled at the sight. "That is, if you'll let me."

"Katherine!?"

"Well, this was unexpected!" narrated Kol.


End file.
